大象传媒

A COUNTRYSIDE TEENAGE LIFE STYLE
By Doris Burn

September 3rd at 11o鈥檆lock 1939 war was declared. I was 12 years old and lived in the village of Raskelf in the vale of York on a farm.

When war broke out life changed, as the land in the vale was flat a lot of air fields were built for bombers, so a lot of heavy traffic went through the village. Children from Hull and Middlesbrough came to the village as evacuees. It was dangerous to live in those towns they were targets for enemy bombs. They arrived at the school, then were sent to various houses to live, we had 2 girls from Middlesbrough billeted with us. The school was also crowded with about 30 extra children and 2 teachers. They brought new ideas with them, tap dancing, acting, and the teachers organised concerts to keep children occupied after school, they also included the village children with these activities.

At home we had to put masking tape crisscross on our windows to stop the glass splintering if there was an air raid. At nights we had to have black curtains or blinds covering the windows so there was no lights to see from outside, in case there was an enemy bomber about. Air raid wardens patrolled the streets outside to make sure the black out was complete. There was always someone on watch, if an enemy bomber came around the sirens would sound. This was a wailing sound, and could be heard over a wide area.

Farming was a reserved occupation, all the men working on farms had to join the air raid wardens, home guards, or fire fighters. My brother was in the home guards and my father was a fire fighter. Fortunately we did not have an invasion or an air raid attack, but we were ready in case there was an emergency.

We were all issued with a gas mask, a ration book and an identity number and card. As a child I had my name and identity number on a silver disk put on a strap and wore it all the time on my wrist .The gas mask was in a box and carried on our backs wherever we went. (It was not pleasant to wear) fortunately we never needed to use it. Food was rationed but with living on a farm we were better off than most people for food, we had our own eggs, milk and bacon. With feeding farm workers we had an increased allowance of bread. Sweets were also rationed to about 2oz a week but this amount varied.

On the broad grass verges outside the village corrugated huts were erected, boxes of live ammunition were stored in here, the huts were open ended. Two small boys from the village one day went and got some of the ammunition to play with, they were both blown to bits, that was a real tragedy.

In a nearby village a search-light battery was installed, these beams went back and forth across the sky at nights to make sure there were no enemy planes around, on moonlight nights we used to watch the lights, it was quite exciting. On our farm a dummy air field was built. This consisted of rows of lights about a foot high to imitate the runway lights of the real air basis. These were placed in the growing crops, (it was never bombed). An underground room was made to house the generator that powered the lights. Four airmen took it in turns to service these lights. The men were billeted in the village.

Clothes were rationed, my mother used to make dresses for me and my sisters out of the good parts of adult clothes. Everyone was asked to wear their dresses 1inch shorter to save material. Lawns were dug up to grow food. Farmers were told what they had to grow. Iron rails from gardens were taken to make war weapons. All sign posts were taken down, so if the enemy came they would not know where they were or how to find their way around. Bicycles and cars had half of their lights covered over so no light could be seen from above at night.

In the Market town there was a camp for Italian prisoners of war, these men went out to work on the farms, (some of these men stayed here after the war was over.)There was also a land army hostel where land army girls were billeted.

When young people reached the age of 17 and a half, they all had to register and were called up into the forces, or had to do vital war work, if they were not in a reserved occupation. Boys went into the armed forces, or the coal mines (they were called Beven Boys) girls went into munitions factories, nursing, armed forces, or the land army. Older ladies who were too old to serve like that were in the WVS, Red Cross, and anyone who could knit could get wool from the WVS and knit gloves, socks, scarves etc. for service men.

At the time we never really understood the seriousness of the situation it was all very exciting.

Now when I look back on events I think about it very differently.

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