大象传媒

This story has been submitted by Mrs K M Blease formerly of Tyneside but now living in Grimsby and it has been typed up in Grimsby Library.

My brother and I were vaccinated to go to Canada, but a ship went down and all the children drowned. Mother said we can't go.
Norway was occupied by the Germans and it was straight accross to Tyneside. They were after the shipyards we built aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines - we were bombed to hell night after night.
Landmines on schools and houses, aerial torpedos mowing down houses, I lost a lot of friends. Wilkins pop factory with cellar - 200 went west. Biking to work on North Shields there was a head in the gutter, an old council man shoveled it into a sack and carried on to work.
One of my sisters was in the A. R. P. tlaking to PC William and PC Millburn, she had just walked away and they were killed. I knew them well.
We in the Anderson shelter with sandbags and a wooden door all caught fire and we were trapped until it was put out. Mothers windows blown out and war time glass put in - all wobbly but at least it was light.
I lost my uncle 3 miles off Ireland. My brother was in the Merchant Navy. My dad was a Sergeant Major came out of St Nazaire after Dunkirk was finished.
My sister was in the WAFF. She was in C for Charlie and stayed at her post for 3 days hoping that her RAF boyfriend would come back from the Merna and Ada dams. Glyn Williams she brought him home once , he never came back, sent home on compassionate leave.
My sister started driving ambulances picking up injured RAF, some badly burned. Mr McMindo was the first plastic surgeon to to try to repair these airmen.
I have some photos of some and also VE Day. In those days there was no such thing as counselling nor compensation.

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