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I was 16 on 1 June 1940 and I was working in those days at Crocker’s Bakers on Moseley Road. They rang us from Snow Hill station to say troop trains from Dunkirk were coming through, have you any food? So we loaded up trays of broken biscuits, pork pies etc. It was such a shock to me at 16 years of age to see men in that condition — no clothes, wounded, told that they had to pay for lost equipment on the beaches. Seeing them I decided I had to do something so I joined the ARP. My father was already a warden. He lost an eye — incendiary bombs had been falling in raids (up until then just fire bombs) but this was booby trapped and went off. I’d just put mine out with buckets of sand. This incendiary bomb went off he died shortly thereafter. It went after that —raids and rations.

I helped to deliver a baby. I didn’t know were babies came from until then! We were patrolling during the raid and this man came tearing up to us (older lady and me) so we went down into the shelter to help out. It was a boy! All we could do was lay him on his mum, didn’t cut the cord before the doctors came.

Worst thing I saw was a chap with incendiary landed ion his stomach, he was a mess we could only cover him up.

We worked in the day up to 14 hours than I’d go home and have a nap.

During the day I was a typist. You went where they sent you if you weren’t reserved. Grocery Supply Depot at Lawley St., patrolling in Tyseley, near Lucas’ the big munitions factory. We saw a landmine on a parachute but Ack-Ack unit shot it down.

You worked all day, mother worked in munitions factory too because Dad was dead. I had a younger sister who was evacuated to Hockley Heath but she had a bad time because a trainer plane hit the house.

My father-in-Law, Walter Garvey, he was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for rescuing people trapped under a house with a timer ticking above them. That was Knowle Road, Sparkhill.

I married in 1947- husband called up in 1945. I borrowed the milkman’s wife’s wedding dress and my cousin's veil and hired everything else. It was white slippered satin with a lace overdress. Having worn dresses made out of blackout material we couldn’t wait to dress up.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Joyce Garvey and has been added to the site with his permission. Joyce Garvey fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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