大象传媒

This contribution to WW2 People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk. The story has been written and submitted to the website by Rosalie Davis Gibb (Volunteer Story Gatherer) with the full permission and on behalf of Irene Cranston.

I worked as a Nursery Nurse in Newcastle during the war, first at a Nursery School in Elswick Road, Newcastle and then at a Nursery in Armstrong Road, Benwell.

I worked from 7am to 7pm with 3 hours off during the day. The Nursery was 3 miles from home and I had to travel there and back in the blackout. There was no public transport at 7am but I could get a bus home. I loved the job and working with children.

I was going to be a Children鈥檚 Nurse on a liner but the war stopped that.

The mums brought their children to the Nursery at 7.30am and went out to work at Armstrong鈥檚, who made heavy equipment for the war. The mums collected the children from 6pm onwards. The children weren鈥檛 very happy to start with but they came to love being at Nursery School. It was hard for the mums to leave them. There was plenty of work on the Tyne but Armstrong鈥檚 was the main employer.

We just accepted life. We were very lucky as there was not much bombing.

I wanted to be a WREN but couldn鈥檛, because I was a Nursery Nurse, which was a protected job.

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