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This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Nottingham on behalf of Roy Brownlow with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

One egg a week
No Bananas
4oz sweets
Breakfast and lunch at school
Collected shrapnel
First long trousers army dyed.

Along the main roads, were placed smoke screens, a big drum full of oil and on the top a tin chimney. They were lit during a heavy blitz and screened us from the planes. Trouble was it got in our eyes and up our noses!
All the windows were taped across because of the blasts. Swimming pools were closed and used to train soldiers. Children went to school part time. Gas masks were issued, there was big bag like ones for babies, Mickey Mouse ones for toddlers and black ones for adults. We had to put black out curtains up at night, no lights were allowed in the street at all, so there were lots of accidents.
School children ate carrots as sweets were rationed. We ate so may carrots our skin turned orange — but we sure had good eyesight!

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