大象传媒

Rob Wilton, radio comedian, had an opening gambit 鈥淭he Day War Broke Out鈥�. I was eleven years old then. Events are pinned in my memory from that momentous day. It鈥檚 difficult to keep happenings in sequence as incidents come to mind, mostly triggered by oblique references or chance remarks War was a word associated only with history books and tales related by ageing relatives.

We were a family of four 鈥� no boys 鈥� so we hadn鈥檛 the heartbreak of father or brothers leaving for the services.

My father worked for a coal importing company who then owned a fleet of coal boats which plied the home coastlines and perhaps had an occasional run to France. He spent his years in the marine maintenance workshop 鈥� he was a tradesman- assessing damage to ships in dock; these were in for repair from heavy storms, or bomb blast during convoys. They were required to have masked lights and special survival rafts and supplies should a crew have to abandon ship. Submarines were constantly on attack with torpedoes.

Barrage balloons featured largely as a very important factor being employed on ships to help protect against dive bombers. It was quite a common sight, from our coasts, to see convoys of twenty or thirty ships moving down the Channel with the sun glinting on the balloons , or at night in the moonlight, as a fleet moved silently and ghost-like along the horizon

Rationing was introduced with books and coupons soon after the outbreak of hostilities. Clothes rationing was really strict. Coupons for 12 months were distributed depending on how astute you were at spending them on the most useful items woollen tops, skirts, trousers, coats and shoes. Those in munitions factories or specialised jobs were given an extra issue to cover their industrial requirements. Stockings were virtually impossible to get, and in Belfast, most girls queued up each week at a chemist called Montgomery in Donegal Street for a bottle of very precious suntan lotion to use on their legs when going dancing. Unfortunately it wasn鈥檛 waterproof and on rainy days it washed off in the splashes from the passing traffic or the drips from raincoats.

An occasional food parcel would arrive from distant relatives. Tinned ham and salmon, cheeses and dried figs 鈥� greatly appreciated helping to lighten the diet of dark bread, spam and dried eggs. Innovation was the keyword in coming to terms with dried eggs and dried potatoes 鈥� the 大象传媒 was very accommodating with Ministry of Food advice on the best ways to make the most of rations, helping to satisfy family appetites and to keep menus healthy under such severe circumstances. Wedding cakes were non-existent 鈥� quite often at hotel receptions a cardboard facsimile would be used to decorate the banquet table and at home, a one-layer sponge cake made with dried egg and decorated with a small piece of melted chocolate from the sweets ration had to suffice as the symbolic requirement for birthdays. Bananas were unknown to children growing up in the war years: fruit imports had almost stopped and the ration existed mostly of home-grown apples, Bramleys and soft fruits when in season. A tin of fruit at the grocer shop was something to be prized and put away for Christmas or a very special celebration.

There was heavy traffic in 鈥淏lack Market鈥� un-obtainables 鈥� mostly food. A lot of foreign produce came across the border or illicitly through the ports, at very high prices, which were well over the heads of the average family income. Having said that, there very few who didn鈥檛 get something, though these channels and as life was being lived at an unusually low ebb, who would dare criticise?

Coal, the country鈥檚 main source of heat and energy, became a very scarce commodity for the average household as industry held the priority for its use. An allowance of one hundredweight per week per household lasted for quite a few years. Gas and electricity were turned off from central sources to help conserve the country鈥檚 supplies, for limited periods and were resumed only at regular times for cooking and heating.

Black-out curtains were a must with every household; ARP wardens constantly patrolled streets from dusk to ensure not one tiny beam of light was escaping. Pocket torches were an essential asset 鈥� without one it became quite an experience to step outside the door into utter darkness 鈥� no lamplight or neon signs for guidance.
Unease reigned when nights were brilliant with moonlight 鈥� perfect conditions for enemy air attack. Searchlights constantly scanned the night sky for unwelcome reconnaissance planes. The unnerving wail of the 鈥楢lert鈥� sirens presaged another attack; the welcome 鈥楢ll Clear鈥� heralded a relaxation of nervous tension and stress. Yet again, barrage balloons featured largely as protection round the city 鈥� the idea being that dive bombers would become entangled in the wires. They (the balloons) were like beautiful silver whales floating in the sky 鈥� the slightest breeze made a peculiar singing resonance through their anchoring wires.

It was essential to carry personal identity cards, plus a gas mask - issued to adults and children alike. General commodities grew scarce due to huge decreases
in imports and severe shipping losses, suffered by air and submarine attacks. The 大象传媒 were very efficient in supplying practical advice to the population on ways to keep warm, make most of existing rations, and show thrift by re-fashioning and remaking worn clothes.

The Government issued posters galore 鈥� 鈥淒ig for Victory鈥� (using the garden or allotment to augment the food supply), 鈥淗olidays at Home鈥� (exhorting people not to travel 鈥� to make the most of the immediate environment), 鈥淏e like Dad 鈥� Keep Mum鈥� (discouraging careless conversation on transport 鈥� spies might be listening, 鈥淚s your Journey really necessary鈥� (because of the petrol shortage.)

The first blitz I truly remember happened on Easter Tuesday in April. A naval ship HMS 鈥淏elfast鈥� had docked in the port for repairs; evidently news had reached German intelligence with the consequence that a fleet of bombers was despatched to destroy both ship and city. Thereafter, followed a general exodus followed of the population to the nearby countryside鈥� mothers and children staying outside town while adults commuted to work each day. Those who couldn鈥檛 find accommodation left each night with the expectation of further raids.

Country buses suffered shattered windows which were replaced by plywood sheeting 鈥� glass was scarce and there wasn鈥檛 time or labour to make repairs. It became a guessing game when and where to alight, especially at night. Block-houses were built on rural roads that had rifle slots, and were manned by Army or Home Guard personnel - precautionary measures when the country was threatened by possible invasion.

We lived at Cregagh during those years. There was an anti-aircraft gun emplacement stationed in the hills above Lisnabreeney and mornings after an air-raid our local roads and streets were littered with the debris of spent shells.

Evacuees and Prisoners of War started to arrive at various points in the country. Gilbraterians were settled on a demesne at Ballycastle and Millisle. P.O.W鈥檚 had military camps built in various areas mostly for Germans and Italians.

As the war years progressed bomb-sites became a characteristic of city life. Open roofs 鈥� gaping to the sky, piles of bricks and rubble 鈥� spikes of tall summer weeds growing through the broken walls and clumps of debris: half-rows of terrace houses still standing and occupied because of extreme housing shortages was part of the every day scene. Accommodation was a constant worry as so many homes had been destroyed during the bombing. Health and hygiene were ignored in the desperate search for rooms 鈥� a roof or shelter from the cold became immediate necessities. It was imperative that government had to make a start on re-housing programmes, and slowly the communities were moved into dwellings necessary to the level of normal requirements.

John Pudney wrote a poem commemorating those who lost their lives in fighter planes during the Battle of Britain 鈥� one of the many crucial episodes of the war. It has come to mind over the years and causes sad reflections for the men

Do not despair
For Johnny-Head-in Air
He sleeps as sound as
Johnny Underground

Hang out no shroud
For Johnny in-the-cloud
Better by far John-the-
Bright-Star

To keep your head
And see his children fed.

Nagasaki and Hiroshima? A speedy ending of the war? Do the thoughts of what we鈥檇 ever done haunt us still? What if Japan had been the first to drop atomic bombs on us?

War leaves sorrow and disillusionment, devastation and scarred lives. Servicemen looked forward to de-mobilisation, to rebuilding a NEW WORLD, a NEW PEACE that would hopefully last for the survivors and their children 鈥� never an easy road, but one that has to be tried again and again.

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