大象传媒

THE APPLE PIES WERE SAVED
When the sirens had sounded on previous nights it was the normal practice for us to leave the house and make our way to the Anderson shelter at the rear of the garden. On one of those night raids we were all safely ensconced in the shelter when mother announced that she had left apple pies baking in the oven and that it would soon be time for them to be removed or they would be burned. As the minutes ticked by we could sense her anxiety. This, you can understand, as she could not afford to waste food, plus the fact that we would be denied our sweet the following day at tea- time.

When it became evident that it was a practice alert it was decided that someone should enter the house and take care of the pies. In spite of it being pitch black outside and unable to show any light my dad offered to go into the house. However, in our company was a young sailor and he volunteered to go to the rescue of the baking.
Once the all clear sounded we were soon safely back in the house. As luck would have it mother decided that there was enough apple pie for all of us to have a piece for supper. This was met with all round approval and we were soon enjoying the fruits of her labour thanks to the rescuer.

As we lived close to the river Clyde, from time to time we gave accommodation to naval personnel whilst their ship was in dock for repairs. This was always on a short-term basis and although it was a bit inconvenient as far as sleeping arrangements were concerned it was extra housekeeping for mother. Several householders in our area were obliged to give accommodation whenever possible. With two teenage sisters in the house they were never short of a date, whether it was to the cinema or a dance, with one of the sisters eventually becoming engaged to a naval officer and marrying him.

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