大象传媒

Eileen Mary Rogers

Birkenhead

Babysitting with my friend when a bomb hit the house, I wrapped up the baby in a fur coat and said we must get out. When we opened the door there was no floor 鈥� just a plank to edge our way along. I thought to go to the pub for help but something stopped me going 鈥� they had both been killed 鈥� think it must have been God stopped me going. We found an air raid (shelter) where her sisters were 鈥� I held the baby all night 鈥� standing in water 鈥� 鈥淲on鈥檛 somebody take this baby鈥�. Our house was a pile of rubble with a land mine on the big coalbunker. My father was digging in the rubble looking for me and my friend because he thought we were dead. The following year I joined the ATS, for the next five and a half years I was at Bulford in Wiltshire the headquarters in London and finally at Weymouth. I think I had one leave in all that time. I was put down as a balloon worker when I joined the ATS, I don鈥檛 know why because I was training as a tailoress. I did clerical work in the ATS, I worked in the Transport office 鈥� we took on old cars. We had to go into a tent where they were testing mustard gas 鈥� I don鈥檛 know why I was so silly. We had to listen into people who鈥檇 been dropped in to France and report back to the office. After the war I worked in the NAAFI, when I got married I went overseas with my husband to Cyprus, Tripoli and Benghazi.

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