大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from 大象传媒 Radio Berkshire on behalf of Pamela Henderson and has been added to the site with his/her permission. Pamela Henderson fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions

I was born December 1939 but have vivid memories in 1944 where I was living in Welling, Kent and when evacuated to the Lake District.

My memories of the war. In 1944 was of my father being called out on fire watch after the siren had given the all clear. On his return he would tell my mother what number of houses had been flattened. At the age I was I did not understand what that meant.

My father was a Welder and boiler maker at Woolwich docks on the ships. He often came home with frit from damaged boxes which had come from abroad. I鈥檒l always remember the day he came home with bananas. Nobody in our street had ever seen one before so we had a garden full of people just looking at a banana but did not know how to eat it.

At this time my mother was expecting a baby, so mum, my brother and myself were taken to the lake district. We stayed in a very big house with a staircase that led to a play room which the lady of the house took us to where there was a very large rocking horse. Then one morning we were told we were going to the hospital as we had a new baby sister. As we were taken to a small room there was a nurse with a bundle of blankets, as the nurse bent down in the blankets was our war time baby sister Valerie. A few days after dad arrived to take us all home.

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