大象传媒

THIS STORY WAS ENTERED BY A CSV VOLUNTEER IN BRISTOL.
I WAS BORN IN FEBRUARY 1938, AND THE WAR STARTED IN 1939 AND WENT ON UNTIL 1945.
MY MEMORIES ARE OF OUR RADIO AND MY DAD LISTENING TO CHURCHILL AND OF MY GAS MASK MY MOTHER MADE ME WEAR WHICH LOOKED AND SMELT FUNNY. I REMEMBER THE SOUND OF THE SIREN AND MY MUM OR DAD MAKING ME SLEEP IN THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS FOR SAFETY. ONE DAY I WAS SITTING BY MY GARDEN GATE NEAR THE STREET WHERE I LIVED AND I SAW A BIG OBJECT, IT LOOKED DARK TO ME, A LITTLE GIRL,IT WAS NOT NOISY - THE SKY WAS BRILLIANT BLUE AND IT WAS SUNNY, SUDDENLY A NEIGHBOUR CAME RUNNING TOWARDS ME, PUSHED ME INTO HER HOUSE IN ANOTHER CUPBOARD, AND SAID 'DOODLE BUG' KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN, I DID'NT UNDERSTAND WHAT A DOODLE BUG WAS.
AFTER THE WAR I LEARNT THAT ONE CAME DOWN NEAR STOKE POGES VILLAGE CHURCH YARD, WHICH WAS A CONNECTION TO GRAYS ELIGY.
I WROTE A POEM ABOUT THE DOODLE BUG MANY YEARS LATER. AT HOME I REMEMBER MY MOTHER MAKING PANCAKES OUT OF DRIED EGG POWDER, AND I REMEMBER MY OLDEST BROTHER BRUCE GOT SOME SYRUP FROM SOMEWHERE AND WE LIKED THAT. I REMEMBER CHOCOLATE POWDER AND THAT DAD GREW VEGETABLES AND KEPT RABBITS SO WE COULD HAVE STEW FOR DINNER.I REMEMBER RATION CARDS, IDENTITY CARDS AND CLOTHES COUPONS. I ALSO REMEMBER THE UGLY BLACK OUT CURTAINS OVER OUR WINDOWS MAKING EVERYTHING GLOOMY. I REMEMBER BEING IN A SHELTER NEAR MY SCHOOL, ST ANTHONYS IN SLOUGH AND WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK UNTIL THE ALL CLEAR SIREN HAD SOUNDED. MY MUM AND DAD DID THEIR BEST FOR US ALL, WHAT A WORRY THE WAR MUST HAVE BEEN FOR THEM, AS WE WERE CLOSE TO LONDON. NOW WHY DID I MENTION ORANGES, BECAUSE WHEN THE WAR ENDED AND WE HAD STREET PARTIES TO CELEBRATE AND GIVE THANKS IN OUR CHURCH FOR CHURCHILL AND ALL THE BRAVE SERVICE MEN, BY THE WAY V.E DAY WAS ON MAY 8TH MY SISTER HELEN'S BIRTHDAY WE LIKED THAT. BACK TO THE ORANGES, WHEN I FIRST SAW ONE AND SWEETS AFTER THE WAR WAS OVER, I JUST LOVED THE LOOK AND SMELL OF ORANGES - AGAIN.
I WROTE A POEM ABOUT ORANGES AND HOW THE SERVICE MEN WHO HAD DIED GAVE US FREEDOM TO CHOOSE AND FREEDOM TO BUY WHAT WE WANT AND FREEDOM TO LIVE OUR LIVES AGAIN WITH OUT FEAR OF OCCUPATION.
YEARS LATER IN 63 I WENT TO LIVE IN HEIDELBERG AND GOT TO KNOW MANY GERMANS AND EVEN TO LEARN THE GERMAN LANGUAGE, I LIVED IN ALT-NEU DORF AND IN DILSBERG VILLAGES NEAR HEIDELBERG - SO A NATION IS AN ENEMY, THEN NO LONGER AN ENEMY. BUT WHAT A SHAME IT IS THAT PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE OF NATIONS NOT BEING PEACEFUL WITH EACH OTHER, OUR WORLD IS TOO SMALL FOR HATE TO CONTINUE WE MUST SOMEHOW FIND A GOOD SOLUTION TO PREVENT FUTURE WARS WORLDWIDE.

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