大象传媒

In the summer of 1939 at the age ok six my Mother took me on a trip to see my aunt Sue who was in service as cook and housekeeper to a family who lived in Haywards Heath, We travelled by train and I remember it seemed take a lifetime but it was an exciting adventure being my first trip on a train.One day we went to Brighton for the day I enjoyed it but the beach wasn't a patch on Tynemouth beach (although it was much warmer). The next day (I think it was a Sunday) the radio was switched on and there was a sudden hush in the house as the voice of Neville Chamberlain announced we were at war with Germany,I didn't grasp the significance of this but I knew it must be important because both my aunt and mother got in a right state and started making arrangements for our return home. That same day there was a lot of activity on the Common there were scout cars, armoured cars, and an array of army vehicles and soldiers assembled on and around the Common, this was tremendously exciting for a six year old. The next day Mam and I started on what turned out to be an epic journey home. All the railway stations were packed with service personnel all carrying their weapons and kit bags with their tin hats on top, the train was bulging at the sides, standing room only, some soldiers and airmen made room in the carriage for Mam and I and I sat on knees all the way home to Chester-le-Street station were my Dad had been waiting for hours as the train had to keep stopping to allow urgent military trains through. I remember the blackout, the black tar paper on the windows and heavy curtains over the doors at nights and the shouts of the Air Raid Wardens yelling (PUT THAT RUDDY LIGHT OUT),the air raid shelters being built in a hurry (every thing was being done in a hurry) everythig stopped for the news bulletins, fitting gas masks, ration cards food shortages and no sweets (that hit me very hard because we lived at the gable end of the street adjacent to Horners Dainty Dinah's Toffee Factory, that aroma was in my nostrils all the time, the factory girls would throw a handful of sweets out of the window when we climbed up and asked them to chuck some sweets out LUXURY!!.
My Uncle Dick came on leave from the army direct from being evacuated from Dunkirk, asked how he had escaped, he told us that they formed columns from the beach out to sea (up to their necks) waiting for the boats to come in for them but when the German Airforce attacked with bombs and machine guns they all scrambled back to the beaches for shelter, uncle dick got wise to this and decided it would be safer staying in the sea, which he did the next time the planes came over he waded to the front and waited for the next boat he was among the first on the next boat in and got to safety. There were army camps built to house the soldiers stationed in our area and the troops took over the Empire Ballroom they used Horner's canteen, one camp was in Turnbull's field at the other end of our streets my friends and I used to take tea and cakes from the neighbours to the soldiers building the camp and run errands for them it was great fun, the Yanks came much later they had a parade up the front street of Chester-le-Street, being used to seeing our troops smart, disciplined and in step, we were startled to seeing the Yanks changing steps as though dancing, what a shambles, but they were very polite and kind.
I remember a spitfire crashing at Pelton Fell beside the Forty Trees, unfortunately the pilot was killed.
We hadn't seen bananas since before the war and was upset when I saw an American newsreel showing Liberty ships being launched, because of the shortage of oil they used tons of bananas to lubricate the slipways,what a waste. My aunt made banana spread from a recipe that she gave me and I had banana sandwiches almost every day.Our clothes were a sight to behold, it was hard to see which were the patches and which the original material and what with darned stockings and cardboard insoles (covering the holes in the leather soles) it's a wonder we weren't all crippled. I missed playing in the football team only the lucky few who had elder brothers or fathers old football boots could play.
My Dad was called up in 1940 he was a master plumber and went into the Royal Engineers,while traing in Scotland he contracted rheumatic fever and was very ill he was going to be discharged but at the last minute someone noticed in his records that he had been secretary of Osbourn W.M.Club so he was transferred into the RASC as a clerk, he served in France, Belgium and Germany. Just before D.Day we walked up to the bypass to see all the army vehicles assembled there on both side verges and central carriageway apparently this scene was repeated all over the country,after the war when we saw films about D Day we knew where some of the vehicles had been parked.
V.E.Day was the one to remember we had a street party our seven streets got together, all the hoarded goodies were brought out that had been saved for such a day,it was fantastic, Davey Tulip was a dance band leader and played his trumpet for the dancing and singing a great time was had by all. The bonfire was spectacular the local bus garage "The General A" brought along all the worn out bus tyres they were stacked on top of each other they must have been 14 or 15foot high we pulled the air raid wardens shelter fence down also some railway sleepers.The fire was helped to start by using a few gallon of old engine oil, later we had baked jacket potatoes and no-one complained about the slight taste of old oil. The fire burned for four days, eventually the fire brigade came and put it out. Shortly after that all the old army nissen huts were taken over by homeless people who were named squatters they remained in them for a few years till the housing programme was organised.

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