大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War site by CSV Story gatherer Jessica on behalf of Margaret and Violet Miles. They fully understand the terms and conditions of the site.
It was the year 1941 and my mother Violet was visiting the in-laws for the first time.
My father, a soldier on leave from the army, name of Albert Ledder of 5 Pear Tree Grove, Liskeard Wallasey, and had met my mother off the train from Bath to take her to his home for a few days.
Mother lived in a coal mining village six mile from Bath and had been protected somewhat from the evils of the war, (village called Peasedown St. John).
Her parents had not wanted her to travel up north, because Liverpool had been already bombed quite a lot and they were concerned for her safety.
She however insisted her that Wallasey being the other side of the Mersey was inland and competitively safe. Also she wanted to meet Dad鈥檚 family (rather a large one) who all lived in the same small row of houses and close to each other.
Mother worked for most of her young life in Service and had saved her money and dress coupons for the visit.
After she arrived in Liverpool and crossed the Mersey to Wallasey she went upstairs to change into this new dress as they were all meeting at my grandmother鈥檚 house for a family meal.
After changing into this new dress and feeling like a queen because she hadn鈥檛 had anything new for a long time.
She was startled to hear my Auntie Pat (as she later became) frantically shouting up the stairs for her to come at once as the sirens had gone, to which mother replied,
鈥淚鈥檒l be down soon鈥�
鈥淣o!鈥� said Auntie Pat, 鈥淵ou come now,鈥� almost shrieking at her. Mother came immediately to find the front door wide open and all of the family outside ready to flee to the shelter in the garden.
My father yelled to her,
鈥淒own Vi!鈥� and pushed her to the ground as a German plane hovered above them.
鈥淭his is it,鈥� thought mother, 鈥淚 am going to be killed,鈥� Luckily that wasn鈥檛 so as the plane gained height again and disappeared into the sky.
Later on that evening she could see all of the Mersey light up as they gave Liverpool a real hammering and to this day she maintains that her 鈥楥oupon Dress鈥� was her lucky dress, and now tells this same story which she told me and my sister to her great grandchildren, at the grand old age of eighty-five.

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