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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Nadine from the People’s War team on behalf of Stanley Denny and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

I was 14 when the war broke out was living in Guildford, London. We could hear the planes bombing overhead.

They had closed the schools so there was no education, but they had started up classes in people’s houses before eventually opening up the schools again.
So I went back to school, where I had learned to type, and because I had missed so much school I had to go back to college, which enabled me to go to University where I studied Town and Country Planning.

I was in the forces between 1943 — 47. I was with the Royal Signals, we were based in Sarafand, Jerusalem, Palestine. I was given the company clerk position because I could type, so I used to type the orders out. We were in Sarafand for about 2½ years, the weather was warm and dry, and when we came back to Britain we were still on rationing. I remember the day when the D Day landings were reported. I was in St. Anne’s, Lanarkshire, when I heard the troops had landed in France.

After the war I got sent to Naples, Italy for 1½ years where I operated a telephone exchange.

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