大象传媒

FAMILY HISTORY
I was born in Kingsmead Street Bath on March 30th 1942, one month before the Bath Blitz. Obviously my memories are vague. I decided to research Family History. I am the youngest of six children and we were evacuated following the Blitz and my father died that same year, when I was only nine months old. Our Wonderful Mother brought up six children on her own and devoted her whole life to our well being. There will never be another Mother like her. Unfortunately she died in 1989 aged 84. I decided to write my sisters and brothers to ask for their memories. My eldest Sister who lives in Canada, sent me this letter and it is a wonderful memory of the difficult times during the War.
From my Sister Pam

We had a comfortable home at the cottage at 4 Kingsmead Street, which had two rooms upstairs and two down. When you came in the front door the 'front room' was to the right and on the left was the kitchen/living room with a coal house in the corner under the stairs. The coal man would have to come through the room to deliver the coal! The coal house was where we huddled during the night of the blitz in April 1942. Had we gone to the public shelter we may not have made it. To the right and adjoining the cottage was a wash house for the week's laundry which would have to be dried in the kitchen on wet days. The toilet was outside in the yard but it had a pull chain - thank goodness!
As the family grew we were kept busy helping in the house. Kingsmead School was a few doors away, there were frequent walks to Victoria Park and Sunday was taken up with attending church and Sunday school at St. James's. Sometimes on a Sunday evening the family would take a walk along the canal towards Bathampton and back along the main road.
I was lucky enough to go to London with Dad occasionally to visit the Mason family, even after the war started. The underground stations were lined with bunks where people slept during the blitz but we went to Crosse and Blackwell's factory where you could sleep in the basement and, hopefully, be safe. Dad enjoyed his visits to London and once when he was getting ready to go, his sister, I believe Auntie Maud, came to the house and said 'What about Alice'? His reply was 'Oh she will be O.K.,' she has the children. We were 'children' not 'kids' as he once told, I think Auntie Cis. There's no doubt he was proud of his family and wanted the best for us. We always had butter and not margarine and if we went to Fred Betts to buy broken biscuits, we would not let him know.
In those days, mail was delivered on Christmas Day, which meant that Dad was out for part of the day and our dinner would be sometime in the afternoon. We always hung up stockings at the foot of the bed and one of our Christmas treats would be a large box of assorted chocolate bars, which we kept in the 'front room'.
Mum, of course, worked endlessly keeping the house clean, washing, ironing, cooking and taking care of her children. We also had to do our share. It's hard to believe how she managed to clothe us, but this was done by setting aside money in a club.
The blitz on Bath meant a big change for our family. Luckily Dad was at home that night and he and Mr. Wiltshire had been out in the yard watching planes go over when they saw a bomb dropping and Dad said, 'get in the house'. After that the siren sounded. It was a long night listening to the planes going over and bombs dropping. The following morning Granfer Neal came to see if we were alright. We couldn't stay in the cottage and went to Granny and Granfer Neal's at Willsbridge. I don't remember how we and our belongings got there. Some months later we moved back to Bath and 3 Clarence Place where we lived in part of a house owned by an elderly woman. After the blitz, people were asked to share their homes with those who had been bombed out.
For Christmas 1942 Dad had bought for us a second hand piano. We hardly got near it as he played 'Silent Night, Holy Night' naturally a memory to this day. I remember him playing the cornet and recently saw the Canadian Forces Band in Sault Ste. Marie where four of the musicians gave a solo on four cornets.
In 1943 we were able to rent a Council house at 20 Melrose Grove and were glad of the extra space and a garden.
By the time the war ended I worked at Stone, King and Wardle for one pound a week! Pat (Duck) was working at the K shoe store in Milsom Street and the two of us were lucky enough to go to London for the Victory Parade where we saw it from an upper window of the K shoe store overlooking Oxford Street.
These are some memories for now. It would take some months for me to do a 'life story' although it's something I've thought about doing for Adrian and his family. If I ever get round to it I'll let you know.
The war years from 1939 to 1945 were, of course, hard on every one and I think for that reason my memories are vague. Rest assured, however, we were well looked after as children and I'm thankful for the foundation our parents gave.

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