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This story was submitted to the Peoples War Site by TONY WALKER on behalf of ARNOLD (MICKY) FINN and has been added to the site with his permission. THe author fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

When I was 15 years old, which would be in 1940, I heard that Sunderland Fire Brigade wanted Messenger Boys. The purpose of these messenger boys was to deliver messages to and from the Brigade Headquarters to incidents in the area by motor cycle when telephone communications had been lost due to the bombings. There were no such things as Two Way radio’s in those days. Or at least I never saw any. I made enquiries and found out that I was too young for the job as the minimum age was 16. However I was given lots of information about the job and shown the motor cycles that were used by the messengers, I think that they were BSA 250cc. I remember, as they were shown to me I could see myself travelling all over the area doing such an important job for the war effort. I was determined that it was the job for me.
Consequently in 1941 after my 16th birthday I became a Sunderland Fire Service messenger. I was taught to ride the motor cycle, and let loose on the roads to do my little for the war effort.
At this period of the war the North east coast was often targeted by the bombers. There were plenty of targets to go at. Shipyards, Timber yards, Fuel installations to name but a few, in fact a real industrial conglomeration and, as a consequence I was kept very busy travelling on my trusty ‘Betsy’ (my trusty motor cycle) from headquarters to sites where appliances from Sunderland were engaged.
One incident I remember happened to me when I was travelling to Newcastle where one of our machines was engaged. It was having trouble with the hydraulics on the turntable. I was ordered to take gallon can of hydraulic oil to this appliance. I set off with the can strapped to my back. There was an air raid going on at the time and I could hear the roar of the planes, and the scream of bombs falling, it appeared that it was directly above me. It was really frightening. I stopped my motor cycle, and sitting astride it I looked directly above me, I was aware that the bombers were directly above me. I heard the scream of falling bombs, I was really scared. I then heard an explosion as a bomb landed in a field not far from where I was. I was thrown off my motor cycle and into an adjacent field, a distance of about 15 feet. I was knocked unconscious for a few seconds. I came around feeling dizzy but otherwise unhurt. I went over to where my motor cycle was laying. on its side.
It looked OK, so I kick started it and recommenced my journey to Newcastle and completed my duty.

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