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A SCHOOLGIRL IN CREWE

This story is transcribed by me Graham Shepherd , from notes and discussions with Molly Johnson , and will be added to the site with her permission . She understands the sites terms and conditions .

My first memories of the war started a few days before war was declared when I was sent home from Bedford Street School with two 8 year old boys - I was four and half years old at the time - who were give my bus fare by the teacher . I was standing with them at the front window upstairs on a double decker bus when we passed my mother who was out posting a letter and she saw me . I got off at the next bus stop and just then a car stopped and my mother jumped out . She had been terrified when she saw me and stopped a passing car who chased after the bus . I did not return to school until I was six , because the nursery class room was used as a First Aid Centre , and then bombed when I was five . I went to an improvised school in a tin Tabernacle at the C of E Church .

One day we heard loud noises outside the house and saw about 40 workmen putting two large oil drums outside each house . The drums were filled with a sort of oil and had a chimney fitted on top and were lit just a few days before and after a full moon depending which way the wind was blowing . They were used to create a smoke screen to cover Rolls Royce and the Railway . The Merlin engine was being built and tested in Crewe and the continuous drone noise of the engines could be heard all over the town day and night .

On the nights that the drums had been lit , the next morning when you woke up , your eyes , ears and mouth were all black . The crockery was also greasy and at first my mum used to wash them all with soap , but since it was on ration , she had to resort to only washing the things we used every day .

We had some evacuees from London for 6 months , an elderly couple - Mr & Mrs Greek . They were very nice and helped my mother out in the house . They later decided to move North to live with their family . They corresponded with us until they died .

One day when we were playing after Brownies , we heard a loud ‘ whoosh ‘ , and saw that a Barrage Balloon had come loose , so we followed it and a lady who had a phone contacted the police , and soon afterwards the Army came and captured it and took it away .

When I was eight I returned to Bedford Street School which had been partly rebuilt , and when the Air Raid siren went we put on our gas masks and continued our lessons in the air raid shelter . We visited my Grandparents and Aunt and Uncle in Leeds when I was 9 , where I slept on a camp bed in my parents bedroom , and one night when the siren went my mother panicked and grabbed me hitting my head heavily on the wardrobe , knocking me out . I had to be taken to hospital for a check up .

I clearly remember the Cheshire Yeomanry riding past our house regularly . They were very impressive to a young girl .

My father worked as a clerk in a clothing factory which was making Great Coats for the soldiers . He was quite frail and failed his medical , so he joined the Home Guard . He did fire watch at the factory where he worked two nights a week and was involved in Home Guard duty on the other nights . He became the Company Clerk , and used our front room as his office . He kept his loaded rifle at the side of the piano , and hid spare ammunition in a box beside it . When my parents weren't about I used to get the bullets out of the box and play with them . My Mother always said that if the Germans came she would shoot us all - I think I was more scared of her than the Germans .

On one Home Guard exercise , everyone had to fire a rifle , and because my Father assumed that he would be doing clerical duties , did not take it with him , so had to use a spare which was available , but as he fired it exploded . The Company Commander thought he was dead , but amazingly he got away without any injuries . It was definitely not my Fathers scene !!

When the war ended a girl from Holland who had been brought to England due to ill health , spent 6 weeks in a health camp , and on her release spent 6 weeks recuperating with us . She kept in touch for about 10 years and the last we heard , she was ill in hospital at Eindoven with TB .

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