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This story gathered by Gloria Davies has been added to the People’s War website on behalf of Don Nicholson by the Lancashire Home Guard, the story is in his own words…

When war broke out I was 13 and pupil at West Riding of Yorkshire fairly new secondary modem school.

My first recollection of war was queuing to have Gas Masks fitted, which were contained in brown cardboard box with loop of string to fit over shoulders.

The school was only few years old, boys and girls separate but sharing sports field. The field had been dug up at one end to build underground air raid shelters. A zigzag of tunnels with wooden seats down one side and duckboards to walk on. At the comer of each zig, a stepladder to escape hatch, which was also ventilator.

I was a school prefect and was delegated to open shelter doors and ventilators each morning whilst school was at assembly but had to take another person. There were lots of volunteers to accompany me, I usually chose the one with cigs we could smoke going through shelters.

At 14 1 left school and started an engineering apprenticeship with a company in Wakefield, a large works with 2000 workers. My parents lived near a mining village 5 miles from Wakefield and because I needed to attend Technical College at nights and late buses were not available it was decided I would live with my Grandparents in Wakefield from where I could walk to both work and college.

For the first year of apprenticeship we were at beck and call of all doing menial tasks these days done by laborers. The company was manufacturers of mining machinery for which there was a big demand to enable coal production to be increased for war effort. Many key workers were therefore deferred from military service but many under 40 were called up, therefore making a requirement for many women to be trained as machine operators. Eventually in the main machine shops 75% of the operatives were women, from all walks of life. I recall 2 who had been actress, a few from well known families who had not previously worked, and many were quite common. Whilst most men watched their language in front of women, many women were not particular about theirs. I heard it said that the Graffiti in the women's toilets was far worse than in the men's.

Before I was 17 I was asked to work nights, by then I was setting machines for women operators. Most people worked 12 hours a day, because of college I was allowed to finish day shift at 5 pm on days and start at 10pm instead of 7-30 on nights I attended college.

The works had a large well-organized canteen serving a main meal mid day and mid night. On daytime lunchtime I can recall visits of well known radio artists per forming workers playtime. On the night shift various people would bring instruments and play for others to dance during the meal break. The factory ran along the riverbank and I remember warm summer nights with couples smooching on the riverbank. Most women had husbands in the forces and were glad of a bit of fun.

The city itself was lucky not to suffer air raids when the sirens went it was usually planes passing over. There were a few bombs jettisoned whilst passing over. On one occasion in evening school the alarm went and we had to go into the shelters in the cellar. We were pleased to find gym mats stored there and romped on them with girls until the all clear about 4am. That night a bomb had demolished 2 houses and an area evacuated because an unexploded bomb was reported in the road near the park gates. It was early morning before it was reported not to be a bomb but a large stone ball off the gateposts.

Our entertainment at this time was mainly dance halls or cinema or pictures as we knew them, for which wc usually had to queue to get a seat after which a number would be allowed to stand at the back. At the dance halls Wednesday was usually beginners night when a number of women who were good dancers would be allowed in free to instruct beginners. Friday and Saturday were popular nights with many uniformed people present. With my friends we would get into dance hall early then get pass outs and visit nearby pubs until about 10, before returning. Entrance to the hall was not allowed after 10 except with a pass out.

At the age of 16 I joined the Air Training Corps with the intention of joining the Royal Air force at 18. The experience in the A.T.C. was good, each year we would spend a week on an RAF operational station.

By the time I was 18 though it was the last year of the war and friends slightly older than me who had joined for aircrew training found themselves redundant doing desk work and the like. Because I had the option of continuing my studies till 21, 1 chose to concentrate on my career. By this time I had been offered the chance of becoming a trainee draughtsman, and had finished my craft course at college and was studying engineering design.

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