大象传媒

I was 8 years old when war was declared. Following the start of the war we had no school as most of the children were evacuated from Ryland Road school Erdington to Bretby. Those of us who were left behind were taught in groups of 8 to 10 in private homes. I went to Ken Worrall鈥檚 home in Wood End Rd opposite the park. The park had marquees in it so people could attend concerts etc without being concentrated in town theatres and buildings. Later on the school was re opened and I remember when one of the girls was killed in an air raid and we lined the playground as the coffin went by.
We were not evacuated because my mother wanted to keep us all together. I was very disappointed as I saw it as an adventure. I was fortunate in having a large cellar beneath our home with two entrances. My Grandad had converted the old beer settles to beds and we slept down there regularly. Neighbours also joined us. My dad worked as a time clerk at Delta Metal Company in Aston. Sometimes due to raids he had to walk home which was a long way and my mum used to worry because he did not get home till very late.On other occasions he didn鈥檛 come home because the wardens made him go down the shelters at Aston Cross.
I remember a bomb whistling overhead which demolished the bathroom block in the Fentham Rd Block of All Saints Hospital. A bath was left sticking out of the wall held on by the pipes for the remainder of the war.

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