大象传媒

Jean was a child in World War II. Her father was an Air Raid Warden. The family had a shelter at the bottom of the garden. They lived near the Avro factory. Jean got bored with going to the shelter every time there was an air raid, so she slept in the house under a big wooden table. She was 10 when the war broke out. Sweets were rationed along with everything else; Jean got three quarters of a pound of sweets every month, along with half a pound of sugar per week. She remembers children being very healthy and fit, largely because they were so active. Her family kept bees in two or three hives. Jean used to cycle to the Halle Orchestra when it was based at Belle Vue after the Free Trade Hall was bombed, and she remembers Barbirolli's first concert with the Halle. She wasn't encouraged to join choirs or to go skating because of air raids. She used to take a gas mask to school, and to stay in the cloak room during bombings as the room was structurally safer. Her school adopted a merchant ship and collected contributions. Jean remembers that school uniforms were in short supply.

Jean Cannon
"Tamarisk"
Higher Kelly
Calstock
CORNWALL
PL18 9QZ

Interview by Ben McCrory at Victoria Baths in Manchester, Sunday July 3rd, 2005.

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