大象传媒

I was seven years old and can remember distinctly Neville Chamberlain making the announcement over the airwaves that we were at war with Germany. My mother looked stricken and the women used to stand around discussing what was going to happen next.

The shelter being erected in the small back garden in Canning Town where my mum and dad and little sister lived. Dad didn't have time to put dirt on the shelter because he was in the Home Guard and so shrapnel pinged on the shelter in the heavy raids.

Searchlights and dogfights. Blackout and school corridors barracaded about every 12 feet so that marching down them was a zigzag. Jumping the tanktraps to school. We got pretty nifty at that especially if the siren sounded on your way to school. I went to 15 schools throughout the war years up and down the country. We were evacuated 3 times. Always my mum came with us. Once to Wiltshire, then to Cheshire (where my mum had another baby) and later to Norwich. Lots of yanks in Norwich. It was on the trip to Norwich that I must have picked up nits. So when we arrived at our destination I was examined and taken by a young girl who had the most glorious plait down to her waist, to the "hairdresser", who chopped off my hair. No styling then. The girl who took me just happened to be a prefect in the class I was allocated to. Rumour must have got round and I was given a desk and seat at the back of the class on my own. Everyone else sat next to someone. I felt terrible.

We were shunted around because Canning Town was in a most vunerable part of London. Just up the road was the River Thames and the bomber used to come across the channel and up the river and bombs used to fall incessantly. My mother lost her home and all her possessions and so did I. No toys, all gone. Now that I am old I think about how my mother must have felt. She was 29 years old, no home, no furniture and 2 children at the time.

We, at one stage went to live with my Nan at Laindon in Essex. In fact there were 17 of us at one stage. There was no running water, only a well in the garden and it was a bit crowded. I don't remember staying long but I did go to another school there.

There are lots of memories of deprivation and the sleeping in the shelters. I was scared all the time.

When at last it was all over it happened to be my birthday. I was 13 and it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had.

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