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My brother and I did paper rounds during the war. No one asked you your age and the local shop keepers were glad to get someone to go out early mornings and afternoons.

Early mornings were great times for picking up shrapnel. These were mainly pieces of anti-aircraft shells that had blown up being fired at enemy aircraft during the night bombing. There were prize pieces to be picked up, these were mainly brass pieces with numbers on them but we picked up anything because we could always swop them with our friends for pieces that we hadn’t go t just like today’s football picture cards. Other things that were very prized were fire bombs — half burnt ones, tail fins, but the biggest prize was a whole one. My brother and I would take the half burnt ones into my dads shed and chip bits off the bomb. Then later we would through them onto my mum’s fire in the kitchen. They would really make a lovely glow. My Mum never caught us!

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