大象传媒

My name is James (jim) Haines, I was two years old when the second world war started and my first memories are of the blackout. Thick lightproof curtains were fitted and we had to ensure that they were fully closed before any light was switched on and woe betide anyone who let light escape. There was also a switch on the door frame that turned the light off as the door was opened.

My eldest sister was living with our grand parents in Alton, because Father had joined the army sevsral years earlier and he and mother decided that a nomadic army life was not suitable. In those days casual travel was not availble or economically viable and I did not see my sister until I was about six years old, this involved a long journey by two different buses and took about three hours each way.

My other siblings and I along with mother were evacuated to Somerset, initially my mother, my sister Marion and lived in a large house, whilst John and Janet were settled with two other families.

Some time later, Marion Mother and I were given one of two farm hand cottages. Lighting was provided by oil lamps, water by a communal standpipe out the front, the privy was at the top of the garden and consisted of a plank with a hole and a bucket underneath. This bucket was emptied into an open cesspit in the back garden. I was unfortunate enough to fall into this pit on one occasion, luckily for me mother was on hand. She pulled me out and threw buckets of water at me, until she felt able to get closer.

It was on a visit to my sister Janet, who lived several miles away, that I saw (as I learned in later life) an American pilot shot down by a german plane.

Eventally Janet and my brother John cme to live with us and looking back the days spent in Somerset were idylic, we would have to walk everywhere and several times a week had to go to the local farm to collect milk. A jug had to be carried there and back, extra care being neede on the return journey, because of the milk.

Unfortunately, my brother was demonstrating centrifugal force one night, by twirling the jug, when the handle came off and although the jug itself did not break, the milk was lost. We returned ttearfully to the farm with a storey of the handle coming off the jug and the farmer kindly filled it for us again at no extra charge.

Whilst in Somerset father came home on leave, how proud I was, I was allowed to wear his helmet and even hold his rifle. What made ebven prouder was the fact that he boxed for the Hampshire regiment and was quite successful and had medals to prove it. It was after one of these visits that my sister Carol was born.

Near the end of the war we came back to Southampton, but had to spend most nights in the air raid shelter, along with another family from across the road, the daughter was eventually to become my wife. It was during this time that a bomb destroyed two houses situated two houses away, bombs really did whistle when descending.

Also during this period we became aware of the flying bombs and on several occasion I actually saw them flying across the skies. Then we were walking with mother near Rownhams on the outskirts of Southampton, when a lone german plane tried to machine gun us, but mother had already thrown us into the ditch and he missed.

I would like to say, that the war and all incidents described here seemed to have no effect on the attitude of all the people I knew, but speaking personally, it was just the way tings were and I have never felt stressed or depressed about anything that I experienced

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