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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Roger Marsh of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Samuel Cartwright, and has been added to the site with the author’s permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

SOME WARTIME MEMORIES
By
Samuel Cartwright

My own memories of the beginning of the war: I had left Junior School in the July of 1939, and having passed my 11+, was due to start at Oldham High School after the summer holiday. My sister Ruth and her husband, Wrig, had kindly taken me on holiday to the Aunt and Uncle who had lived in Weymouth since the 1914-18 war.
The last week in August was the annual Oldham Wakes Week and it was probably on the Saturday, 2nd September, when we returned home on the train.
There had been much talk in Weymouth about a war being imminent, and we found that the train was packed, with many servicemen, and war was, in fact, declared the following morning.

I had been due to start at the High School in September, but pupils were not allowed back to school until enough air-raid shelters had been built. I didn't have to wait very long before the shelters were ready and we returned, firstly for just half at each day for the first few weeks. Other schools were much more delayed and had a longer summer break!

By then brother Bill had been called up, as he had been a member of the Territorial Army. He was actually away for about six years, serving in North Africa for much of the time. Later on, brother Wilfred was called up as he became 17/18 and was in REME.

Regular air-raid practices were held, and we had to carry our gas masks everywhere we went. At first we thought that there would be air raids, or an invasion, very quickly, and the `phoney war' made little difference, except for the blackout, and shortages, especially of food, and the call-up. Later on into the war, we had to go into the shelters when there was an actual air raid warning.

I can't remember the exact year, but I do recollect very clearly that one of my classmates never returned to school, having been killed in his home one night during a raid. He was John Hughes and lived on Incline Road. This was probably the night that our house felt the impact, as it was not very far away. The whole class was shocked.

It was March 1942 when my Mother had done her weekly batch of baking. This was no easy task with the rationing, and we looked forward to her Wednesday baking session each week. There would be Mom and Dad, sister Annie and me.

On the Thursday morning when I got up, I was told that Mother had died during the night. Apparently she had suffered a severe stroke during the night. I was 14, and it was such a shock, and I really think that this is still with me on many occasions.
Social life consisted mainly of Scouting. I attended the church parades, as and when required. I even went on at least two Harvest Camps with our troop and others.

Pr-BR

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