大象传媒

My husband was stationed for a while at Hawes, near Barnard Castle. He managed to get a week-end pass and sent me a telegram, to ask me to go stay at his Aunties near Darlington. We had a good week-end and when I left, I got the bus back to Newcastle. The sirens started and flares were dropping near by but the bus carried on. There was only me and the driver on the bus and he shouted to me"Where in Newcastle are you going" "Anywhere near the Central Station will be fine" I says. He stopped the bus and said "Will this do you?" I looked out into the pitch dark and I was in a tunnel, (Doves Arch, Orchard Street)"Eeh " I says "This isn't the Central", "I thought you said you knew Newcastle" he says "Look I'm driving into Marlborough Crescent, do you know where that is?" "Oh yes" I says "I know Marlborough" He drives the short distance and says"Will you be alright from here?" "Yes" I says, "I know where I am now.
I managed in the pitch black to catch a bus up Westgate Road and got off at the top of Baxter Avenue. The sirens were going, I could see flares in the sky, I was petrified. I set off running towards home in Greywood Avenue, and even though it was war years and things were in short supply, I had to wear my high heels. Clickety clack, clickety clack, I ran all the way. I eventually got near to Freywood Avenue, turned into the street, clickety clacking all the way, when a voice shouted "Who goes there?" It was my brother-in-law, who was our street warden. I shouted "It's me Jimmy, Nan" "What you doing out in the blackout, get yourself away down home and into the shelter" and he runs me down home, his heavy boots thudding and my clickety clacking. When I reached home, I was shaking like a leaf. Everybody else was down the garden in the shelter, he shouted dow the garden "Its Nan, she's home safely" My sister called to me "Come on Nan get in the shelter" but I said "I'll just hide behind the curtain on the door, cos I'm terrified in case there's any mice down there"
That night the picture house on the West Road and a house in Hampstead Road were both hit, they were both very nearby. I was more scared of the mice than the bombs, so I'd stayed behind the curtain on the door!

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