大象传媒

I was born on Clover Street, off Keddleston Road in Derby in 1924. I lived with my mum, Ellen Tomlinson, dad Edward and sister Marjorie and brother Gordon.

I left school in 1938 and went to work at Smiths in Drury Lane, they made uniforms there for the forces, and civillian forces.
When the war came we were on holiday at Skegness because I can remember everyone there running about for blackout curtaining to black the windows out.

Back at home the school accross the road St Anns primary school had closed and soldiers were billeted there.

When I worked at Smiths the sirens went and a plane came over and machine gunned down Macklin Street. We all ran to the shelters.

I was transferred by the government from Smiths to Rolls Royce, in the coppersmiths shop. We called it Royces.

I used to solder the ends of pipes that went onto the engines. It was a great big shop, full of men with just three girls. One of the girls was called Sybil and she lived at Denby.

We went in the mornings about eight o'clock until about five at night I travelled there by bus or walked if I did not have the bus fare.

We had shelters at Rolls Royce, they were dug out the same as we had at home and made from corrugated iron. When the sirens sounded we just had to leave everything and dash out. I cannot recall Rolls Royce ever being hit.

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