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This story was submitted to the People’s War website by Anne Wareing of the Lancashire Home Guard on behalf of Brenda Jones and ha been added to the site with her permission…

I was 6 when war started; dad was in the RAF based in Coventry supervising the barrage balloons. Unfortunately he caught bronchial pneumonia and had to leave this position and went as a batman at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate, the hotel had been taken over by the RAF.

Mum was housekeeper to a vicar and we stayed in a cottage that belonged to the church. The vicar had Americans billeted at the rectory, so we as children, got the benefit of this as they always had sweets and chocolate to give us. I had one sister and. one brother, both younger than me.

I have one very clear memory in 1941 there was to be a pantomine and my sister who tap danced had practiced long and hard to appear init. The evening came and she had just got on to the stage in her Bo-Peep outfit to do her performance, when the siren went and the hall had to be evacuated. So that was the end of that, as it was one night only. She was dreadfully disappointed and didn’t go back to her tap dancing; I think it put her off for good.

One set of our grandparents lived near Manchester. Manchester was badly bombed during the war and we were unable to travel to see them. My other grandparents lived near the Burtonwood American Camp near Warrington and we would spend the summer holidays with them, so once again we reaped the benefits of the Americans being here, great for us children.

I remember being in Blackpool on VE night and partying the night away.

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