大象传媒

This story is submitted by a volunteer on behalf of Radio Bristol Action Desk at City of Bristol College

March 1940

I was taken ill with back trouble. Six weeks bed no money. Then the worse came. I had to go back to work. Light work that made 拢1.00 a week wages. That was just for mum. However we got over it I do not know. Then Bill asked me to marry him, so we put in the marriage bands for 3 weeks at St Johns Church also Holy Nativity Totterdown. I had no money, because every penny I possessed went to mum, but we had a lovely wedding. Bill paid for most of it. My mother and friends did the rest, but the only trouble was. Then I knew what my mother felt like not wanted by your husband鈥檚 family. I sent the wedding car for the guest and not one in the family turned up only Bill and Cliff Peters his best man. But I had nothing to thank them for. The wedding furniture, the clothes I wore Bill paid for. Mum paid for the reception. I would not have got married unless I could live with mum, because I would not leave her on her own. I paid the rent and so everything went off well. I was 1 hour late to church. We had the two front rooms in the house. The bigger rooms in the house. I was only married a month and I conceived to have a baby, so I was unable to get a war job, the doctor said I had conceived through weakness of my illness I had just recovered from. My husband worked at the B A C Patchway. Monday washing day. It was hard work. Mum said 鈥� This Monday wash day we鈥檝e a lot of washing today. We had better make a start鈥�. I lit up the boiler. It was an old fashioned stone boiler and as a rule I had the job to light the boiler. We started washing about 9 am. Mum always scrubbed the washing using a scrubbing brush and board. My job was to rinse the washing well and mangle it using an old fashioned wooden mangle. I had already caught by finger in it once leaving my fingers very bad and out of shape. Going back to Bill working at Patchway. This one washing day did not go too well as about 50 German aeroplanes came over the city. I was a sight to see. I could not understand why everyone was so sympathetic and kind to me. Mum could not get on with her washing. She was out talking to the neighbours. Not like mum. I was getting cross then about 4 o鈥檆lock the women said 鈥� Its alright Florrie here he comes thank God鈥�. He is alright. Then I learnt Patchway was very heavily bombed and many men were killed that was the starting of our war at home. Having not had any experience of air raids. One Sunday evening I was at the top of the house getting ready for Church. Mum was cooking her Christmas puddings in the boiler. They were nearly ready to come out when someone called out 鈥淐ome and see these pretty lights in the sky鈥�. Bill shouted to me 鈥� Come down quickly鈥�, but not knowing what it was all about I just took my time, but before I arrived to the ground floor the first bomb fell. Bill dived in the coal cupboard. I fell in on top of him. I was then beginning to get very heavy. Poor Bill. He was by then sat on a knob of coal, but to finish it all mum sat on top again. Mum was 14 stone. Bill Andrews was led down in the passage. We forgot all about the Christmas pudding. They were of course spoilt. We went through hell that night the end of November 1940. Bomb after bomb we could not stick it in the coalhouse. We just could not breath, so we ran to some air raid shelters at the corner of the street. Just as we came out of the coalhouse a bomb dropped on the gas tank in Stenners field. Poor Bill Andrews left the floor nearly being blown out the door. Everything around was flooded. When we got to the shelters after a struggle. Remember I was seven months pregnant. The Raid Warden and Police were shouting at us. 鈥淕et under cover鈥�. Well all night we were in the shelter. Next morning returning home windows were out. The house looked a sight. Christmas pudding spoilt, no gas electric or water. We had a few days and nights air raids. After that by day we were machine gunned as we ran for the shelter. I used to use an Anderson shelter in Mrs Thompson鈥檚 back garden only across the road. Christmas 1940 was very quiet. We had a party at Thompson鈥檚 while waiting for the sirens that did not go, but the 3rd January 1941. The air raid sirens went as soon as it got dark. It was bitter bold all night. It was hell. Baskets and baskets of bombs. My Uncle Harry was killed that night. The reason he was in the house was he was stubborn. We had so many fouls. The alarm people were getting careless. About ten bombs dropped all in a line. My cousin Bob Bush had to let the horses out of the stables. They ran off to safety, but his father was killed doing his shoes up. My family was very concerned for me, but I had no nerves and did not worry. On the next morning 4th January. I stayed in Mill lane and watched them dig out Uncle, a family of seven, a blind man Mr Jones. They would not go to the shelter. My family would make me go to spy with my cousin Violet and her husband Walt Warbutton. It was her father that was killed. She lived at Southmead. The family wanted me to be near the hospital. We all slept downstairs in the large lounge, so Violet and Walt were in one end of the lounge on a mattress, Bill and myself were in front of the fire. Vi鈥檚 three girls, one boy all slept at the other end in the corner. Night after night the sirens would go, but no bombs dropped. Only the big gun protecting the aerodrome at Filton. Purdown Percy the gun was called. When it fired it sure made a big bang. One day Vi was not feeling well (back trouble). We make her up a bed on the mattress and then sent for the doctor. He told her she had to rest for the water works. He said 鈥淭hey always get a stand by signal if there was going to be a raid鈥�, so he told Vi to rest her hearts content, there is going to be no raid tonight. Just then the sirens went. Vi forgot her bad back. She was the first in the shelter. Bill and myself we took our blankets with us to the shelter and stayed the night. Next morning they had to dig us out. We were snowed in. Well two weeks went by time getting nearer to having my baby. Walt always got my bath ready every day, because the water had to be pumped from the boiler. 24th January the children had to do there share of the housework. Wallie the son polished the bathroom. Walt said 鈥� Flo your bath is ready mind you don鈥檛 fall down the plug hole鈥�. As I was getting so big. A lovely bath, but as I was getting out. Wallie had polished under the bath mat and I slipped. I fell and broke my little finger. That night my pains started. Bill and Walt walked me to the hospital. I was only up the road. It was midnight. Next morning my baby girl was born. (6.15 am the time my daughter was born). 25th January 1941, 5 1b 6 ozs. A little before her time. Things were not too good. My baby was put on oxygen. Not much life. I was unconscious for six hours and was not allowed to see the baby for three whole days. I was in hospital for fifteen days. It cost Bill 拢24. As you had t pay hospital and doctors fees in those days. While I was in hospital fifteen days incendiary bombs were dropped, but not much damage was done. I stayed with Vi for a few weeks after the baby was born. I was good of her to let us stay there. We decided to go home. The windows were boarded up, everything looked terrible. Mum and Bill Andrews had got married by special licence. He was now living there, but things were not the same. I slept in the cellar when Bill was on night work on a camp bed. I did not sleep there for very long, it was damp and cold, so baby Sheila and myself slept on a camp bed in the living room. We had many air raid day and nights. they machined us by day. My brother Alf came home on leave.

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