大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War website by a volunteer from CSV/大象传媒 London on behalf of John Ironmonger and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr. Ironmonger fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

My mother was in the Blitz during the war and would have been about 15 years old. Her sister who was two or three years older was actually observing for enemy aircraft. Her brother who was about 19 was in the Merchant Navy. Her younger sister who would have been about 9 in 1942 in the Blitz and was evacuated to Devon just outside Exeter. My mother therefore had to look after her mother, her grandmother whose husband (my grandfather) had recently died. He had been gassed during the First World War. So she was 15 had just lost her father through gassing and she had to look after her mother who was very, very worried. They had the usual shelters, she lived in Bethnal Green and of course they would go down into the Underground and sleep there. Many a time they just did not bother and she would tell me stories about the smoke, the broken glass and the bombs. Quite horrific really for a 15 year old girl to look after the family. One night when she came back from the subway her house had been blown to bits and she had lost her dog. All evidence of identification had gone - it must have been quite an unnerving experience.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.