大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer from Fivemiletown Primary School on behalf of Lynne Lapsley and has been added to the site with her permission.

When The Second World War started I was under two years of age therefore my first memories are very vague and I think are really stoies that my parents told me. I lived in Londonderry which was an important port at that time. The ships came in to dock to be repaired and to stock up on provisions, etc for their next assignment.

Our house had a large cellar underneath and when the sirens sounded we would all go to the cellar which had electric light and a couple of mattresses on the floor where we could sleep until we heard the "All Clear" siren.

One night in 1940 a huge bomb was dropped near our home in a place called Messines Park and approximatley 30 people were killed. It was announced on radio that because of the bomb the children were going to be evacuated to a safer place. As my parents did not want my sisters and I to be sent away it was decided that we would leave our home and go to live in Strabane (14 miles away) where my father was manager of the labour Exchange (now known as The Crown Buildings).

I remember living in Strabane as it was near Lifford which was part of Southern Ireland and therefore not involved in the war. I was probably able to walk by then but I was placed in my pram and we walked the 3 miles to Lifford where there was no rationing to smuggle goods such as butter, sugar, tea etc. These items were secretly stored in the base of my pram! This was very exiting for my mother and my Aunts from Belfast and Bangor.

In the summer we always went to Portrush for the month of August. I remember one day when I was about 4 years old seeing bars of chocolate in a shop window. I was given the money and in I went to make my purchase only to be told they were 'dummies' - I didn't understand what this meant! Another time I queued for ages and was able to buy a bar of rock - this my father cut into 7 equal parts so it lasted for a week!

I remember VE Day (by this time we were back living in our house in Londonderry) and all the ships were sounding their sirens, letting off fireworks and playing music. My older sisters went to the Guildhall Square where there was dancing and singing.

Later we had a big VE Day party with a band and games and plenty of food. There was a large air raid shelter nearby and painted on it in black writing was "Welcome Home Malcolm" Apparently Malcolm had been a prisoner of war in japan and had been released.

Rationing still continued for a long time after the war ended and we were taught as children to "go easy" on the butter, jam, tea, etc. Things were so different from today when everything now is so pleatiful and we are spoiled for choice.

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