大象传媒

I was born in 1918 and grew up and lived in Comber, Co.Down.
My first memories are of the Gasmasks. I mind on a Sunday we had to get our Gasmasks, from Andrew's St. Memorial Hall.
My mother looked after us there were five of us. When we got to the age we had to go to work whether we liked it or not!

I remember the black-out - we still had to go to our work, but no lights were to be shown anywhere. People would come round to your house to check and make sure the lights weren't on. It was hard getting to work in the dark, as you were getting up early.
I worked in the Comber Mill, reeling.
My memory of going to work in the black-out was meeting the postman, but we couldn't see him, he was always very friendly and would say 'hello'.
My friend worked in the stitching factory, down Castle Lane where I lived, it is knocked down now and they are all replaced with houses now. I remember it well!
My father was killed coming home one day from work in Belfast, a bomb was thrown into the tram, I was only two or something then. There was another man too killed in that tram from Comber.
I remember the bombs and them lighting up the sky. When the sirens went off we were supposed to go to the air raid shelter, but I never went to the them, we just went in to bed and threw all the blankets over our heads.
There were soldiers from Staffordshire regiment stationed in Comber, they stayed in an old Mill across the road from where I lived. I think it was a starch mill. I went out with one of the soldiers. I remember one Saturday night I went to Belfast with my friend, and when I got back he was with my mum waiting for me.
He wrote to me after the war, but I didn't bother replying, my mum was on her own then, and I didn't want to leave her.

It was a long time ago.
After the war the celebrations were great, street parties everywhere!

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