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I was born in December 1931 and consequently was seven years of age when war was declared on Sunday, 3rd September 1939. At that time my home was in the north west of County Durham. May father had died the previous year, having worked in the coal industry all his adult life. At that time and so far as I recall, for a number of years my mother's widow's pension was 10 shillings per week plus an additional 5 shillings per week in respect of me. A total in today's currency of 75p per week, this to pay house rent, provide food and clothing and the other necessities of life.
I clearly remember the radio broadcast of the then Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain advising the nation of a state of war existing between Britain and Germany because of the invasion of Poland by the latter. An uncle, a brother of my mother lived in the next street and we ran - in fear - I believe, to my uncle's home for comfort and reassurance. Shortly after this the air-raid sirens were used for the first time, although no raid materialised.
Of course I was of school age, however, for quite some time after the outbreak of war we attended school only on a part-time basis. This, of course, went down well with us children although school was a happy place. In due course air-raid shelters were built in the grounds of the school and we had regular practice and real emergencies when we would troop into the shelters carrying our gas masks and supplies of emergency rations part of which comprised packets of Horlicks tablets.
In due course food shortages become a fact of life, ameliorated to some extent by the introduction of food rationing. The ingenuity of mothers at that time was wonderful. Excellent meals were produced using dried egg, dried milk and when lard for cooking ran short liquid paraffin was substituted, true it was! Of course meat was scarce but again rationing provided a degree of fairness in distribution. Much later in the war food parcels began arriving from the United States and these were a boon.
Motor cars were taken off the road and for the duration many were elevated onto blocks until such time as petrol again became available.
Fortunately, although Newcastle upon Tyne was bombed, we lived in a semi-rural area and consequently the need for evacuation of children did not arise. Instead we were a reception area for evacuees - people who created great interest coming from as far away as Darlington and Middlesbrough -thirty miles was a long way away in those days!
About this time too all iron railings were removed from garden walls to be used as scrap metal for the War Effort. Special national savings weeks were held 'Spitfire Week' being a case in point. We also had 'Warship Weeks' when contributions could be made to the needs of the Royal Navy. At this time too, most people were practising Christians and throughout the war national days of prayer were called by the King and such days received massive support.
With regard to games and pastimes we played most games children play today, cricket, football, marbles. We ran iron hoops which in the northeast we called ‘girths’. Of course there were no television sets, no computers, no mobile telephones, indeed most families did not have a telephone of any description. Yet there was a degree of satisfaction seemingly absent today. Vandalism was practically non-existent, the local policeman was a highly respected member of the community and above all there was a spirit of community in which it seemed to me everyone put themselves out to be helpful to everyone else. They were dangerous, evil days because of the war but in many respects they brought out the best in most people. There was pride in nationhood and a determination not to buckle — the sort of pride we need to re-establish in today’s climate.
With the end of the war in Europe we had street parties to celebrate victory and welcome home men who had been in the forces, some of whom had been prisoners of war. Later came victory in the Far East and the return of the soldiers from that theatre of war some of whom were in a dreadful state having been prisoners, brutally treated by their captors. For a long while following hostilities conditions were difficult with shortages of almost all necessities and rationing continued for quite some time.
What the nation did remember at the end of it all was to thank God for deliverance and for the service rendered to the nation by the armed forces and the emergency services on the home front. We still owe that debt of gratitude and we forget the lessons of total war at our peril.

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