大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Philip Stearn of the Derby Action Desk Team on behalf of Rex North and has been added to the Site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was born 1935 and started school in 1940 , so all my early school days were during the 2nd World war. I lived and attended school in the Pear Tree area of Derby.

Although Derby was not heavily bombed like Coventry and other cities, there was so much local industry that the threat was always present. The major factories were camouflaged and there were other means of protection close to my home. About 100 metres from my home a barrage balloon was sited. I remember this and other similar installations. Sometimes a balloon would be struck by lightning and came down in flames - a really spectacular display.

There were static water tanks for emergency use by fire engines . I remember being given a lecture on the dangers of these tanks when one of the boys drowned in one of them.

On a nearby recreation ground, an area was fenced off and a high concrete platform erected with an Anti-Aircraft Gun mounted on top. Rolls-Royce had additional protection - in many local streets and roads there were metal burners , out 20 or 30 metres apart , that were lit at dusk to produce a smoke svreen. They were filled with paraffin soaked waste and produced a thick smelly smoke that hung in the air. This , together with the blackout, meant that winter nights were very dark and winter seemed very long.

I recall my father building an air raid shelter . When the warning sirens sounded we went into the shelter waiting for the all clear siren. Quite often I was woken in the night and went from a warm bed to a damp smelling shelter. We made it as comfortable as possible with a supply of food , electric light, an old electric fire, deck chairs, and bunk beds with damp sacking to support the old mattress. To keep the shelter dry we had a drainage sump with a semi-rotary pump. This stood in the entrance and prevented standing water in the bottom of the shelter. Sometimes we would share a shelter with the neighbours.

The closest call was early one morning when there was an attempted daylight strike on Rolls-Royce. I remember running to the shelter with enemy planes overhead and hearing bullets strike the wire fence between our house and next door.

Life was dominated by the war. We carried Gas Masks and Identity cards - I still remember my Identity number. We listened to the 大象传媒 news bulletins for news of the war. There was food rationing - no sweets or ice cream. I remember dried egg ( which i thought was very nice ) and Whale meat served for a school meal ( which was very chewy and not very appetising ). We kept a few hens up the garden to provide eggs and had an allotment to grow vegetables. I remember that we used to mix a little milk with the small butter ration to make it go further. It took a lot of effort to get it to mix.

On saturday morning we went to the local gas works to buy coke to supplement the coal ration. We would push it home on the crossbar of a bike or an old pram. We needed a mesh guard around the fire because the coke would crackle and explode when it burned.

After the war we celebrated V.E Day with a street party. Flags and bunting were put up. We had a big bonfire in the street and a meal in a neighbour's garage served on trestle tables.

During the war there was no film for cameras ( perhaps photography was not allowed ) so there is a gap in the family photos covering the period of the war. Other things were prohibited like flying kites so there were many simple things to do and look forward to after the war.

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