大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer on behalf of Janice Beech and has been added to the site with her permission. Janice Beech fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

When I went to infant school we had to carry our gas masks. I can still remember the smell of rubber. As part of the school drill we had to practise and had to go into the shelters. At Christmas, Father Christmas came and gave us a present of sweets called twizzels which we thought were a real treat. Other treats were parcels from America which had chocolate and powered chocolate that we now call drinking chocolate. Each afternoon after leaving school I had to run errands. Most importantly I went to the schools and collected the family rations. Once a week we went to the school clinic for orange juice, milk tokens, Vairol malt and syrup of figs to keep you regular.
My main memory of the air raid shelter was not being frightened but the smell of cat鈥檚 pee.
On the nights of the air raids my mother made sure that she had taken the washing off the line so that it did not get damaged or dirty. For ironing we used to put flat irons on the kitchen range and then spit on them to test if they were hot enough.
We used to do our own shoe repairs. For this we had to buy a stand called a sod to put the shoes on. We then used pieces of leather from the cobblers to repair the soles and heels.
I used to go with my sister with a pram to collect coke from the Lock Gas Company. On the way home, if I got tired, I was allowed to sit on the top of the coke.
At the end of the war we had a street party. The job of the children was to go and collect rubbish and any wood we could find for the bonfire.
Although the war was serious I have many memories of happy times and of good laughs. One evening my sister went to the cinema to see Frankenstein. When she came out of the cinema the streets were pitch back because of the blackout. On the roundabout near the cinema was a pill box. Some boys had hidden in there and as my sister walked past they jumped out on her. Already frightened from the film she let out the loudest of screams.
My happiest memory was of my two brothers returning home at the end of the war. One had been in the army, the other in the navy. My mother wept tears of joy.

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