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Deal was a major Royal Marines barracks town and during the war many overseas soldiers were also billeted there. Lydia was the only child born in Deal during Warship and Warweapons week on Sunday 25th May 1941. As such she was taken to the Town Hall at about three weeks old to be presented with a National Saving Certificate. There were certificates provided for both a boy and a girl but as Lydia was the only child born that week she received both.

Lydia鈥檚 mum and aunt were worked in the hop gardens at Smith鈥檚 farm, Staple staying in the hop pickers' huts. One night while they were in their hut they heard noises as if someone was running a bayonet along the outside. Fearing the worse that the German鈥檚 had landed they all kept as quiet as possible all night. In the morning they discovered that the noise had been caused by a bull scraping the ring in his nose on the wall much to their relief.

One of Lydia鈥檚 cousins, Jimmy was at school at the Convent when it was bombed. There were some fatalities including a boy who looked very much like Jimmy and the family were concerned for a while until Jimmy turned up safe and well.

Lydia鈥檚 sister Rosemary was born on 6th August 1942 during an air raid and Lydia鈥檚 mum suffered a bad haemorrhage so in the panic the baby, who was fine, was put in a drawer under the bed out of the way while Mum was cared for. Lydia鈥檚 Dad was a bandsman in the Buffs serving abroad at the time and did not see his new daughter Rosemary until she was nearly four year鈥檚 old. He had been rescued at Dunkirk and when Lydia was born he was at Plucksgutter so he saw Lydia as an infant but having to go and continue his war service abroad he had a long wait to see Rosemary.

There were a lot of Canadian soldiers billeted in the area and they practised manoeuvres all around the area. Lydia鈥檚 mum went out to get water from the well one day and just as she was about to draw the water a blacked out figure appeared with his bayonet at the ready. Lydia鈥檚 Mum panicked and threw her bucket at the dark shape and could not believe how it landed on the end of the bayonet. When the soldier explained who he was she was most relieved to find that it was not the devil!

Despite the horrors of the bombing in Deal, Lydia鈥檚 Mum recollected that they always saw the funny side of things. One instance was that her sister, Lydia鈥檚 aunt, went to collect the meat ration one day and after she got it home there was an air raid. When the all clear came she found the dog had got the meat on the floor. She quickly picked it up, washed it, cooked it and served it up without telling anybody.

Lydia says her family was very fortunate in that a lot of her relatives served in the war and apart from the odd injury they all came home safely.

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