大象传媒

Maureen was born 27 March 1933 and was 7 when war broke out. She attended the Primitive Methodist School on Manchester Rd. Her father was a special constable and he had to walk the streets during an air raid. They had a communal backyard with a shelter and they had to get dressed and go into the shelter with their grandma. She was in her 70s. She would get a bag with the policies? (or polisses?) under her arm. She would be the last into the shelter, changing her clogs. They lived 311 Manchester Rd East and there were 3 shelters in the big back. The shelters held about 8 people. She would go to sleep. There were 2 benches. It seemed people were frightened but you got used to it. There was an air raid whilst at school and they had to go into the school shelter. The war was still on when she went to Birch Rd School and they often went into the shelter there. The children used to sing. She remembers collecting shrapnel after the blitz in Trafford Park. No destruction near where she lived. Remembers one night they were dropping flares. That was the Manchester blitz. She was watching from a window and was dragged away by her mum. No bombs dropped on Little Hulton. Her cousin Jimmy went into the navy as a signaller. He was 18. He was in D Day on the landing barges. She remembers the adults talking about D Day. She remembers the day war was over. Her mum and dad ran up their hill to shake hands with a man they were pals with. Everyone came out. It was exciting.

Never went short of food. An uncle had hens so they always had eggs. Maureen would collect her family鈥檚 toffee rations and go to Mrs Dongers. She would refill her sweets in her shop once a month. Never remembers being frightened. Parents protected her. Her dad鈥檚 cousin, Kenneth Davis was killed on the ship Alexandria, when it was sunk. That was the nearest casualty. In the IWW both of her granddads were killed on the Somme. Grandma brought up 3 girls. Her mum was 3 when her dad was killed. A lot of Little Hulton were exempt in 2WW because they worked on the railway or in the pits. Her dad was a plate layer on the railways and a special constable. In Little Hulton then there were families who had been there for generations living in little cottages or houses. There was no electric or hot water. Grandma Parry lived down Wardley Ave and she had a bath and Maureen would go there for a bath. Otherwise they used to boil the kettle. They used gas instead of electric. They were one of the few family鈥檚 in Little Hulton to have a gas cooker. Otherwise they used the fire and a big oven over the top. Grandma would make barm cakes and let them rise on the hearth. We all knew each other.

We used to grow carrots and cabbages with the school. After school she went working as a cotton winder in the mill. This was when she was 14. She got married had a daughter and opened an Off Licence, which she had for 25 years. That was next door to the club.
Alice Bates was in the Ambulance Service and she drove an ambulance. Some of the men went into the army. There was a big party in the big back when it was all over and they all brought food for it. She went. Grandma and the other grandmas got the food together. She always wanted a banana and there was none till after.

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