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This story was submitted to the People`s War site by Alan Magson of Age Concern Bradford and District on behalf of Irene Mason nee Anson and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site`s terms and conditions.

My name is Irene and this story is about me and my family.

I remember it well, the Sunday morning 65 years ago. We listened to Neville Chamberlain announce at 11 o`clock — I have had no reply from Adolf Hitler so we are at war with Germany !!

My sister Peggy was 2 years younger than me and we both left school at 14 and went into dressmaking, which we enjoyed. In January 1940 our Dad died of pneumonia ( no penicillin). We were the breadwinners in those days as our Mother didn`t go out to work. As our job wasn`t important to the war effort we were liable to be called into the forces. Because we wanted to stay at home we volunteered and went on munitions.

The G.E.C. — General Electric Company — was bombed in Coventry and they came to Bradford so we went to work for them. We worked a ` Capstan Lathe `, made radar equipment for Lancaster bombers. We worked 2 weeks on days and 2 weeks on nights, roughly 55 hours a week and our wage was just under £5.00. We were there `til the end of the war. We didn`t like it at first, but we had no choice.

We also joined the A.R.P. — Air Raid Precautions — and we had a uniform. When the sirens went we had to report at a nearby house who had a telephone ( not many people had in those days ) and patrol the streets to see if all the houses were ` blacked out ` and no lights showing. When the `all clear ` sounded we reported and then went home. Our Mother was always pleased to see us !

We managed on our rations, somehow. A man came round every Friday ( Harry Wilcock ) with his horse and cart and Mother bought her greengroceries from him. He sometimes had fish and Mother saved stale bread for his horse.

I met my husband during the war. He was a Londoner and they put him in the Durham Light Infantry. We were married on June 30th 1945. I think this is a nice way to end.

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