大象传媒

A Birmingham Teenager鈥檚 View of the War by Mrs Paula Hyde

I was 12 years鈥� old when the War began and I attended George Dixon Grammar School in Edgbaston Birmingham, just around the corner from my home. The playing fields were at the bottom of our garden, so when a landmine landed on the houses opposite the school in City Road, the blast took out all the school windows continuing across the playing fields and obliterating the rear windows from our house. Also the lounge door fell in on where we were sleeping under the stair case. After that my mother, sister and I started going up to a proper underground shelter on common ground at the junction of Sandon Road and Hagley Road. There we met some interesting people. It became a way of life for that period when Birmingham was target of the bombing.

School life was somewhat disrupted and by the time I was fourteen I wanted to leave and get a job 鈥� that was the minimum school leaving age at that time!!! I was allowed to do so, as my father was in the Air Force (He served in Royal Naval Air Service in First World War too 鈥� a glutton for punishment!)

I got a job in an insurance office in Birmingham (The Brittanic) where I made friends with people who are still my friends today (2005). Then I left and went into hairdressing in a Salon in the City, a job I continued to do at intervals throughout my life.

Apart from the shortages etc. of the war years, there was a camaraderie holding people together, probably much more so than young people have today, despite their 鈥渇reedom鈥�! I used to go horse-riding and skating.

At the Ice Rink, at the age of fourteen, I met Bert (Albert Hyde). He was almost 19 at the time and an Austin Engineering Apprentice. At 21 he finished his apprenticeship and joined the Canadian Engineers from London. At the end of the War we got engaged and two years later at 20 and 24 years we got married.

Bert had a lucky escape on a heavy night of bombing in Birmingham. He was at the Ice Rink in Spring Hill which was opposite Bulpitts (They made Swan Brand Aluminium ware but of course were on munitions work then). They were heavily bombed and the glass roof of the Ice Rink was shattered and fell in on the skaters some of whom were badly cut, but he escaped without injury.

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