大象传媒

My mother wanted to do her bit working during the War as thousands of women were recruited to work in factories or where directed. She went to Goosepool Aerodrome (now Teesside Airport). This had been built from new as many were in our area with Father being involved leading material on the trucks for runways and hard standing. The Canadian Airforce were stationed there most of the war flying heavy bombers.
Mothers job was Dilutee Electrician in the WAAF's quarters doing the mundane jobs changing light bulbs repairing switches and running new cables etc; when not employed at that she could often be found high in the hanger roofs on the tower ladders that were used, fitting lights and helping the male electricians. Mum was a bit of a dare devil and often went where the males refused to go.
She went into work by train from Norton Railway Station, there was a Halt at the airport for them to get to work. One morning as they slowed for the Halt a returning Bomber badly shot up over Germany was trying to make the end of the runway but failed crashing on the line and bursting into flame before the train could stop. The train did stop after running over the wreckage with Mothers carraige right over the heart of the fire. They were not corridor trains and the flames licking up the sides of the carraige stopped them jumping out. Luckily the driver seeing what had happened got the train moving again and pulled them clear. Railway staff opened the doors and pulled them clear of a now burning carraige. They were all suffering smoke inhalation plus scorching, Mothers hair was quite frizzled. They went to the medical for a check were given Sal Volatile the wonder drug you sniffed and it made you better then told to get a cup of tea and go on with their work. That is the way things were then, you just got on with it. They saw the Bombers go out with men they knew and not return, she often watched the Bombers come back from raids shot to pieces and with wounded or dead crew to be unloaded. Mother said she had a job to do to make things work for those men doing the Bombing and wished she could go with them at times but it was each cog working at their own wheel that helped the war progress, they all did their bit in their own way.
She had one more narrow escape. Whilst visiting my Aunt Lizzy who was the house keeper for Lord Craythorne in Craythorne village the siren went but they were in a small village in the country so did not think much of it. Mother went out for the bus and was standing at the stop when there was an almighty crash, she was lifted over a wall by the blast and unluckily behind the wall were prickly shrubss that by the time she had struggled out of them and climbed back onto the road had damaged her clothing some what.
A bomb or one of our own shells had hit the village destroying some property and sending her flying. Dad My sister and I sitting at home knew nothing of this until the front door flew open and the language in the passage made Dad cover our ears.
Mum came into the light looking as if the local dogs had mistaken her for a fox and chased her through the undergrowth, her clothing was ripped her hair was bedraggled to be kind about it and she looked a mess, we who knew Mum would not go out of the door without being properly groomed did our usual thing bursting into laughter which did nothing to calm her down. It was some time before we got the story and made her a cup of tea the Panacea of the times. We guessed by the language and temper that she was not too badly hurt apart from scratches and grazes plus bruising to her ego having to use two busses to get home and hear the comments from the passengers. If a German airman had baled out and landed in our garden that night she would have killed him with her bare hands. That was my Mother but more about her later.
Every one I knew worked in the war effort as it was called but without all those women we would not have won the war they were deserving of medals all of them.

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