大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the Peoples War website by GMRAction Desk on behalf of Doris Duddle and has been added to the site with her permission

During the blackout all the street lights were out and it was so dark you could bump into them - but nobody bothered- you can鈥檛 imagine that happening today. And although it was pitch black you weren鈥檛 frightened - unlike today. I worked in the cotton mill- Eckersley Mill in Wigan- and after working all day you then had to take your turn fire-watching- and it could be weekends as well and you had to do it. And the next morning you鈥檇 go in the canteen and then into work- without any sleep at all. Would they do that these days? And you didn鈥檛 get paid for it - you saw it as your duty..
I married my husband during the war- and that meant you had to save hard and save your rations- to be able to have a small party for the guests. We didn鈥檛 have no honeymoon and we lived with my parents for a year until we got a terrace house of our own. 3 of my 4 brothers were called up for the war- and I used to worry about them - and we were very lucky that they all came home.. It did take time for them to adjust and although they may have talked to each other about what had happened to them during the war- they wouldn鈥檛 talk to me or my mum and dad about it.
The street parties at the end of the war were great- all the neighbours gave something for the party and the children loved it and everybody was happy the war was over.

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