大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Deena Campbell, a volunteer from CSV Action Desk on behalf of Mrs Holdaway and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Holdaway fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

A couple of months before War broke out the submarine 鈥淭hetis鈥� sank. Hitler sent a message of condolence and my father said it was false sentiment 鈥� we would soon be at war! He was right - September came and War was announced. I was 17 and very scared. I was down the long garden picking runner beans when the siren went out. I rushed indoors. It was a false alarm. I had pictured hoards of Germans parachuting down on us. We had many such alarms on a daily basis. I was working at KLG Spark Plugs鈥his was munitions really. We had a brand new building white and gleaming and Major Carrington a director nearly wept when it had to be camouflaged. We worked with a will from 8am to 8pm and Saturday mornings too (Even though I was the buyer鈥檚 secretary). There was no extra money at that time it was for the good of the country. The playing field was mainly given over to air raid shelters, and inevitably we had to use them. We girls were knitting many jerseys while the raids were on. We had workers' playtime during lunchtime, with Bob Berrow (a real comedian) organising the entertainment from our own workers. During the dreadful winter of 1940 and also when the children were evacuated, we had to walk to work. Five miles along Wimbledon Common. We could safely accept lifts in those days; They were good days really but there was some loss of life. Most of the orders had to be to AID standard. Suitable for the Aeronautical Inspection Department.

At home our windows were blown out, then repaired and then blown out again. One night we could see the docks on fire in London, glowing red. We had many flying bombs 鈥� deadly things with fire coming out from the tail end.

We had no bananas in those days, my mum used to make 鈥渮ana鈥�,from parsnip and banana essence. When we children came home from school or work, there were succulent sausages on our plates. We tasted them. They were whale meat sausages 鈥� tasted of fish and were utterly revolting.

It was wonderful to get hold of a piece of parachute silk, from which we could make underclothes or a blanket and turn it into a jacket. If you were getting married the brides made their dresses out of parachute silk. Everybody co-operated. When someone got married everyone mucked in. Everything was on coupons. They were good days and black outs were very useful for courting! We had to do something for entertainment 鈥� With no cinemas or theatres we just used to go hiking.

My father was a policeman and when a German air man bailed out in Quintin Avenue, he saw him at the police station. He said of the German that he was just a 鈥渟cared lad鈥� 鈥� as ours would have been. He also managed to bring home a piece of shrapnel for my brothers.

We had no holidays in those days and my office friend and I decided to "lend a hand on the land". 鈥� we were housed in tents and the females and males worked on opposite ends of the field. That didn鈥檛 deter us. I met my future husband at that time and Eileen met John who she married. The war has a lot to answer for! One day my brothers left a message for my mother to say they had gone to London to see the flying bombs 鈥� she nearly had a fit.

When I was working, 鈥淏irmingham鈥� was just a name to me, Moor Street Station was where goods had to be collected. Alfred Herbert was who we ordered grinding machines from. Now I can see the city for myself- apart from accents, it compares very favourably with London and we southerners.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.