大象传媒

I was 16 years old when war was declared on 3rd September 1939 at11 o鈥檆lock on a Sunday morning. My parents, myself and two young brothers aged 6 and 3 years, sat by the wireless set to hear Mr. Neville Chamberlain鈥檚 broadcast telling the nation and the world that Great Britain was at war with Germany. I remember neighbours of St Davids Road Kingsthorpe gathered by their garden gates rather subdued when the sirens sounded. No one seemed to worry though and the 鈥榓ll clear鈥� quickly followed.

Before we received the Anderson Shelter we slept under the living room table. Neighbours helped each other dig the hole and erect the shelter, covering the domed top with earth. My dad made things quite comfy 鈥� made bunk beds and there were 2 small chairs and a table, a spirit stove and a small lamp. Also provisions and water. Almost a tiny home.

During 1941 we had to take in an evacuee, a boy of 11 years from Ipswich. He told us that the Germans had tried to land at Felixstowe but the sea was set afire and their boats were destroyed. He also said that the church bells were rung, which during the war time was a sign of invasion. This, if it did happen was never revealed. Just makes one think. Chris returned home after 10 months.

In 1942 my mother was confronted by army officers asking her how many occupants lived on the premises, sex and age groups 鈥� also the number of bedrooms. When my dad and I got home from work we had 2 Welsh soldiers living with us!

April 1943 I was married. As food was rationed, relatives and friends mucked in with tins of food and also provided coupons for dresses. I borrowed the headdress and veil and shoes. Harry Ponting our butcher provided an ox-tongue, which was most welcome. I had a lovely bouquet of roses; a market gardens friend of my parents kindly did that. Flowers were very scarce. My two bridesmaids had white prayer books and tiny flowers sewed onto ribbons. The family party finally breaking up later that evening by the sirens sounding and so ending a happy day.

My future husband and I were at the Cinema-de-luxe Lower Mounts when a huge explosion shook the building. It was announced a bomb had been dropped but if any of the patrons wished to stay on the film would continue. The sirens sounded soon afterwards but we decided the cinema was as safe as anywhere an we stayed put. The bomb we learned later fell in Billing road Cemetery.

The pilot of a Sterling Bomber stayed with the crippled plane hoping to fly it clear of the town, as there were bombs abroad. The crew baled out safety but the pilot left it too late and his body was found dying in Kingsthorpe Rec by a man who was on his newspaper round. The plane came down in the town centre, travelling the length of Gold Street; the wing left a groove where it scraped the buildings. It turned at All Saints Church, back again and came to rest partially in College Street. A pub on the corner and Burtons shop were damaged. Fortunately the bombs did not explode.

When I was 18 years of age I had to join the A.R.P. and at times had to patrol St Davids Road for several hours with an older person who also had knowledge of first aid. My tin hat had 鈥榃鈥� printed on it showing I was a fire warden.

In 1944 during late afternoon, I was at work in the office of the Bective Shoe factory, Kingsthorpe when we heard a lot of rumbling and looking out of the windows we saw U.S.A. army vehicles, soldiers, tanks, guns 鈥� hundreds of them travelling along Harboro鈥� Road. When I got home I took my young brother to watch this amazing sight as it went along Kingsthorpe Grove. This convoy kept going all through the night until the early hours of the morning; huge huts were in the road after it had passed. A few weeks later it was D. Day!

Another unforgettable sight was when the 1000 bomber raids took place. Around 6鈥檕clock in the evening fighter planes grouped followed by the bombers, and at a given signal they flew off. The noise was terrific and it took some time for the different squadrons to group. The silence was quite eerie when they had gone. During the early hours we heard them coming home to their airfields and wondering how many planes and young men were lost.

Despite the rationing and 鈥榤ake do and mend鈥� we managed. My dad had an allotment and also we kept chickens and rabbits. The first egg we had I threw a couple of feet in the air, failed to catch it 鈥� splat! It was no laughing matter at the time. We joined queues for extras, fish, and different things that were rationed. Dad used to fetch a sackful of coke on his bike to eke out the coal. Firelighters were made out of newspapers, pages being folded lengthwise and several strips kind of plaited together 鈥� quite successful.

One Sunday evening I got home just after 9 o鈥檆lock from the Ritz Cinema, went upstairs, to put the blackouts up. 鈥榩ut-put鈥� noise and looking out of the window saw what I thought, a tiny plane. All of a sudden the engine stopped and I knew it was a doodlebug. Dashed downstairs shouting to my mum about it. She told me doodlebugs didn鈥檛 reach here. There was a huge explosion 鈥� the sirens sounded (late as usual). It has landed at Creaton fortunately only killing chickens. My father0in-law was called out to help clear the debris.

Most places of entertainment closed by 9 o鈥檆lock. Buses left off running. My friends and I had to walk home from the Salon to Kingsthorpe. Kings Heath wasn鈥檛 built then, and Mill Lane no more than a cart track. We weren鈥檛 frightened to be out in the Blackout but once coming home we heard a dull bellowing and we were really scared because dared not go past it though it was in a field. As luck happened some lads came along and escorted us 鈥� all running as fast as we could. So funny looking back.

There are so many things to write about, the day a cousin of mine got home from Arnheim, he鈥檇 lost several mates but he wasn鈥檛 harmed. He was wearing just a woman鈥檚 fur coat and was as black as black. It took 3 days for him to get clean.

Another cousin attached to the American forces was among the first troops to enter one of the concentration maps in Germany. He aid very little about it except the sight they saw was unbelievable. He was given a wooden bowl and spoon by one of the Jewish victims although my cousin never forgot the horror of that camp.

My mum used to make jam from blackberries we picked, did pickles and bottled fruit. We had an apple and plum tree in the garden so at least we had some fruit.

I remember the German prisoners-of-war sitting bolt upright in lorries on their way along the Harborough Road, to a camp. I cannot recall where it was. The Italians, just as different, shouting and waving on their way to a camp at Pitsford. After a time they were allowed to walk about in Kingsthorpe with sentries guarding them. The Germans worked in the fields and on farms around the area especially at harvest time.

1945

Victory and the end of war came with the surrender of the Axis forces in May 1945. The celebrations took place on the Market Square, flags came out, everyone laughing and cheering, such scenes to be remembered always.

Also to be remembered - the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan 鈥� August 1945.
I woke up early one morning in August to the sound of church bells ringing. This heralding the end of the war in the Far East. My first baby who was due at the end of August and I went and got in bed with my mum and said, 鈥淢um, I鈥檓 going to have a Peace baby鈥�. My baby boy was born on 23rd August.

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