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In 1940 I was about 12. During that time the Battle of Britain fighters were overheard and there was also some daytime bombing. My mother had said that if the air raid siren should go when I was out I should go and knock on any door and the occupants would let me shelter with their family. Shelters differed from house to house; there could be a 'Morrison Shelter' which was like a large table with a solid steel top and solid steel legs; an 'Anderson Shelter'which would have been built in the garden; or simply the basement or understairs cupboard, that didn’t matter.
I often used to go and play in a park with my cousin, who was about the same age. On the way to the park, remembering what my mother had said, we used to suss out the most affluent looking house so if the air raid siren sounded we would cycle like mad to the pre-destined house and enquire innocently if we could shelter. We had learnt that the more affluent the house the more ‘goodies’ were hoarded in the shelter. We of course took full advantage of this and when the ‘all clear’ sounded we were very reluctant to leave. We never went back to the same house again but the next time chose a different one to try!

This demonstrates the attitude of people during that time. It was a very levelling period, rich and poor were suffering in the same way, so everybody helped everybody else regardless of class.

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