大象传媒

I was born in March 1940 and we lived in Kingsdown above a chemist shop. In 1941 when the shopping centre was distroyed my mother had a birds eye view all over the centre of Bristol of all that was happening. It was terrifying.

After moving a couple of times, we moved to Bishopston. At this time it was very easy to by a property there. We had an anderson shelter, my mother didn't like it. She hated it as it was always damp and full of slugs and spiders. So we always used to shelter in the cupboard under the stairs. It was said to be safe. My mother and myself are dog and cat, we all used to sit there trembling when there was an airraid on. I was put to bed in the cupboard under the stairs every night just to be safe. One of the strong memory was being sat under the stairs with the light of my mothers favorite lamp. I have now always been very wary of being put into small places!

We had an outside toilet and if you needed the toilet you had to go out the back. When I was about 3 or 4 years old, I remember sitting on the toilet and watching the search lights and the noise of the airplanes. My father worked in Gloucster, I don't remember the name of the company but they were making fighter planes. He would come home every couple of weeks for the weekends. When I was nearly 4 my aunty got married and she was in the naffi. She met her husband who was in the navy there.
I was bridesmaid and my mothers sister was a bridesmaid and my mum made all the dresses. My aunty Grace who was the bridesmaid was in the land army and she couldnt get any shoes for the wedding so she had to wear her army boots under the dress. All the men were in uniform apart form my father.

I can also remember going to one of the government canteen in the centre of Bristol, college green. Also seeing the Barrage baloons, although I was always frightened they were going to fall on me!!

I also remembered being woken up in the middle of the night and all the people were in the street dancing and singing.

AS I was one of the only children left in my street, once I attended school and the rest of the evacuees came back I was a little bit overcome, as well as always having to stand up and sing at family parties as I was the only child.

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