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I was born in 1936 in Croydon, Surrey one of twins (2 girls). My Father ran the family bicycle business and he was designated as a ‘reserved occupation’ important to the war effort. He was then attached to a motorcycle business near the Oval, South East London supplying motor cycles to the British Army. In the evenings he was part of the Home Guard and kept a gun in the house. We lived in Croydon, heavily bombed during the war. My sister, Mother and I were moved to be with relatives in Gateshead near Newcastle-On-Tyne. We returned to London later. Whist in Gateshead we went to school wearing clogs (red, but dyed black!) The school dinners were not very nice, I remember and during holidays we had dinner vouchers to collect a dinner from the community hall. No escape from these bland, mass cooked but probably nutritious dinners. I remember the V1 ‘Doodlebug’ bomb flying in over Croydon. If the engines cut out you would take cover as it would come down soon nearby. I heard several explode as my Mother, Father, twin sister and I took shelter in the ‘Morrison’ indoor cage under the heavy dining room table

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