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I was only a child during the War, in fact I was born in 1934 so I was coming up to five when the War started, and I was ten when the War finished; but I do have some memories.

We had the school shift system, like Alvin mentioned. And I remember dog-fights in the sky.

I lived in Nottingham, and we had some industries that the Germans’ would have liked to have put out of the way, there was an ordnance depot about four miles way which they had a go at, placed like Raleigh Industries which were in War Work at the time, so they were targets.

I remember when the air raid sirens sounded when we were at school, most of the children were taken out to the air raid shelter, but my Mother wouldn’t have that. She used to come and fetch me! I remember running home with her and seeing the planes fighting in the sky overhead.

I wasn’t really scared on the whole though. Being so young, I took it all as part of life really

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Peter Roberts and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Peter's stories:

• Fire-Watching and other jobs
• That’s how it was done then
• They were machine-gunning us!
• Watching the prisoners
• Put them on show
• A much healthier option
• Make-shift weapons

Also see Alvin's stories:

• School Shifts

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