大象传媒

My Story: Mum and Dad were married on Boxing Day 1932. My Father was a footballer. He worked at Rolls Royce Derby making parts for the war. Mum and Grandmother ran the family shop. Selling everything Bluebags Nails-Segs-Paint- Size-Soap. Selling everything but no food only seeds to grow your own. My Grandfather worked at Rolls Royce. When war came Mum went to work in a factory making bandages. I was born during the war 1942, my sister 1944. My first memory two green painted cots side by side in Mum and Dad's room. My dad was also an Air Raid Warden. We had an Air Raid Shelter in the garden, we also had cellars. Black out blinds at the windows. If the Air Raid Siren went (long prolonged sound warning signal) we all had to leave the house (pets also). If the budgie was out of the cage we had to leave it in the house! One day when the siren went we were at my Grandmother's shop. We all left and went to shelter. This was a major raid (to this day I can't stand lightening and thunder). We lived in the shelter off and on for a number of months. This day it was very frantic, even I as a very young child looking round knew it was bad! We never went back for a number of days. I had to see when we did, what we later called the bomb site! I can in my mind see to this day! (A shop bricks rubble our house and house each side and a pub) that was all that was left from a row of terraced houses. They all had long gardens at the top of ours was a well (in the 50s, 60s when they were trying to rebuild an unexploded bomb was found!) Growing up we were told a bomb was down the well to keep away! I can remember seeing the boys and girls going to school with the gas mask pack. My Father had been on Warden Duty he was late for work, when the fighter planes came machine guns the workers were on change over shifts, my fathers mates were shot! I think this must have been the last raid we had! The folks who were badly injured were taken by car to D.R.I. The car had to zig zag to miss the shooting along London Road. It smashed into the front of the cinema. I was young but can remember being frightened. I used to have bad dreams. We had Leys Foundry Qualcast Carriage and Wagon and also Rolls Royce near our house. The Barracks were not far away. Nor the airport runway. Money was to swap i.e. snuff for jam or jam for soap. Later we had I.O.U. or Black Market. I can remember the old radio, we used to turn on the crackle noise it made! We had old wind up gramophone (his masters voice) the old piano. My Grandmother used to get me to gather wood also fruit fallen from trees. We played with pearl shirt buttons, small round stones. I used to plant and grow with Grandmother's help. I can remember when Mother went to work as a nurse. My sister and I were taken to nursery. This was just before I went to school. My aunt was engaged to an airman, he never came back. Berard Salt was on a plane reported missing March 31st 1944 over (nienburg) Germany. Never found! My mothers cousin Jackie Whitington was only 18 years old in the army. His funeral was V.E. Day, killed when an army truck turned over. I was very young but I have memories of the war. V.E. day I dressed as a nurse, all the children were in fancy dres. We had a big party at the (Toc.H) on Osmaston Rd. Derby. When all the men in army uniform came along, after the funeral. VJ night 15-8-1945. A very big bonfire was on the bomb site next to our house. I went inside our house and hid! I was going to be 3 years old the next day, 16th Aug 1945. I have grown up with lots of memories like after the war trying to rebuild. I can remember when older telling Grandfather how bad things were! He would tell me about World War I, living in the trenches (france) no food so eating and drinking what they could (1916). I told my mother she could not understand why he told me and not her! I tell my Grandchildren things I would not tell my son and daughter. We used to go on holiday if my Dad could get the petrol for the old car! Most things were on ration. It came very dark my sister and I covered up with the grey war/army blanket, we were in hiding from the thunder! Bombs made a noise the same. Queen Elizabeth (mum to Queen) told her driver to come to see if we were ok as she drove past!

'This story was submitted to the People's War site by Sara-Jane Higginbottom of the CSV Action Desk Leicester on behalf of Elizabeth Ann Burton and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

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