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Entered for Mrs A. Haworth by volunteer Gemma Moore at Dronfield Library on 27.10.04

Mrs Haworth is compiling a book of memories for her children and she was 7 years old when war was declared. She lived in Greenhill Sheffield and remembers having coupons for clothing. She has a photograph of her coat and hat made with material from clothing coupons, which she hated, especially as she had to wear 'ruckled'stockings along with the coat and pixie style hat. She remembers they only had coupons for one egg a month and during the war her mother joined a long queue at Redgates toyshop in town to get her a doll.

On the night of the Sheffield Blitz her father was working at an aircraft factory on Archer Road Sheffield, where Sainsburys now stands and he had to stay at the factory until the bombing was over as he was the factory A.R.P.Warden

When the air raid sirens sounded she went with her mother and sister to the shelter in their garden. Three bombs dropped on her road and one dropped on the house next door. It cut next door's house straight in two, like a 'Doll's House'. Their neighbour had gone into his shelter and when everything was over, a light was left on in his house, so he threw a stone at the light switch to switch it off and maintain the black out. The third bomb fell on a house of a gentleman who did not believe he had to take his family to a shelter in the air raids. He felt his Christian faith would keep him safe. However, the bomb destroyed some of his house and his daughter was killed as their piano went through a wall and trapped her when the bomb fell.

After the raid, mother and daughters returned to their house and father walked home from his factory. On the way he asked people whether there had been any damage on the road where his family were. He was told three people had died and he imagined that it might be his family. However, that was not the case, his wife and two daughters were safe.

Later in the night air raid wardens came round saying they felt the whole area was unsafe as incendiary devices had been dropped, so they all had to leave and walk to Audrey's Auntie's home in Dalewood Road through the dark, frosty air. Mother carried her new eiderdown, which she did not want to leave behind and the girls wore their new siren suits, which were meant to be for Christmas, but their mother did not want to leave them behind, they were huge as mother had not had time to adjust them and make them fit. They stayed at Audrey's Auntie's for a week.

Audrey went to the Junior College of Art in Sheffield and in her spare time belonged to a dance troupe. One day the troupe visited Wharncliffe Hospital to entertain the German soldiers who were recovering there. One soldier called Audrey over and although scared she and her mother went over to speak to him. He stroked Audrey's blonde hair and said he had a daughter just like her at home in Germany. Audrey and her mother cried as they thought of him being away from his family.

Audrey also spent some time after the war in Lincolnshire picking potatoes and peas. There she saw German soldiers working in the fields and worked with them.

As May Queen at her local church her sister had to find dressing up clothes. A beautiful purple velvet cape was provided by her Auntie, which had been a Carnival Queen's cape in Doncaster.

Audrey's grandmother had her home blitzed twice, once in Meersbrook and once in Walkley.

Her mother collected money for the Red Cross 'Penny a Week' to help with the war effort.

To celebrate the end of the war a massive bonfire was held in Greenhill and Audrey went along. Her sister who was older was allowed to go to the celebrations in the centre of town. Her father promised to take her for a banana split when the war ended because she had never seen a banana.
Because there were no sweets to be had during this time, for Girl Guide funds, she and her sister made peppermint lumps from dried milk, peppermint and evaporated milk!!!

I think Mrs Haworth is a wonderful lady to speak to, and she had loads of interesting things to say and tell me about the war and what it was like for her. I was very interested in what she had to say

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