大象传媒

This story has been submitted to The People's War website by Liz Andrew of the Lancshomeguard on behalf of Mrs Prudence Bardsley and has been added to the site with her permission.

I used to work on Aeroplane parts - I remember how we used to write on the metal - messages like, "Please come home safe," and "Trust in God." Of course we weren't supposed to! However I grew so big when I was carrying my first baby, Anthony, that they asked me to leave! The baby was born in 1941.

It was in 1942 that the sirens sounded and I picked up my 6 month old Anthony, and headed for the Air Raid shelter. We heard the bombs whistling as they were about to land and knew they were very very close. Their target was the Railway station which was nearby. After the All Clear sounded we emerged from the shelter and I got the shock of my life. I lived in the second house in the terrace but our neighbours house, Number Two, had been hit one of the bombs and had collapsed. It had been obliterated. We were unable to live any longer in our house so we had to live with my mother for a few months until our house was cleared of rubble and so on.

My husband had tried to get into the Forces but his right arm had been damaged some years earlier as the result of a sort of stroke. At his interview he was asked to pick up a revolver, which he did - but with his left hand. When they asked him why he had not used his right hand and discovered his injury, they rejected his application.

When he came home he started to cry. He felt he was useless. He had not told me he was going to sign up - but I was relieved that he was to be staying at home. He succeeded in playing his part by firewatching.

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