大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer from S.Glos Library Service on behalf of Mrs Yeo and has been added to the site with her permission.Mrs Yeo fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

"I had spent little time at school because I was nursing my mother who had TB. She died in 1938. My 13th birthday was two days after war broke out.

The incendiary bombs began falling a few weeks after war was declared in 1939. Then during early 1940 the heavy bombing started.
My house was one of a number detroyed, and the streets around badly damaged by a landmine. My family had to be rescued from the wreckage by ARP Wardens who led us to the school for shelter. We were stepping on bodies amongst the debris on that short journey. We were refugees and slept and ate in the school until we were found some accomodation. We tried to keep up our spirits by having sing-songs.

Then when I was 14 years old I had to start work. I was directed to work at a factory making, amongst other things, elements for electric irons. I also had to take turns fire watching at the factory at night. This continued, working and fire watching, for 4 years until I was 18. The raids continued but life had to go on. We learned to recognise from engine noise whether the planes were ours or German. If a raid started when we were at the factory we had to go down an outside iron staircase to the cellars underneath for shelter. We were frightened that the stairs would collapse in the raids.

We could see the bombs falling. If they were slanting we knew we were safe but if they were falling straight we were frightened as they might hit us. Having a sense of humour helped us to keep going.
My boyfriend was a local boy who was in the Merchant Navy. He survived being torpedoed but it affected his health for the rest of his life. We were married in 1946. He became very ill during 1972 and I nursed him 'til he died."

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