大象传媒

My most vivid memory of the war is the day it began, I was nine years old and in church. The vicar stood in the pulpit and announced that he was going tothe vicarage to listen to the radio and I thought this is great no sermon.When he returned he announced that we were at war with Germany and he sent us all to our homes.
My other recollections are that all cinemas were closed and we did'nt start school until 10am when there had been an air raid.My father was an air raid warden,He had a tin hat and a whistle I thought he was very important because he could shout "Put that light out". All street lights were switched off and house windows were blacked out at night so there were no lights to be seen if there was an air raid.
There was a "Dig for Britain" campaign because there were food shortages and food was rationed.Waste land was used for allotments,My father hated gardening but he soldiered on all through the war growing vegetables.
The radio was our only form of communication apart from newspapers but when the cinemas reopened there was Pathe News and we saw very vivid pictuers of the war such as Dunkirk and teh D Day landings.
One of my saddest memories is of the time when our next door neighbour received a telegram informing that their son had been killed in action.
The news images I will always remember are those of the concentration camps and the returning Japanese prisoners of war I had a cousin who contracted tuberculosis when he liberated one of the camps and he died just after the war.
My aunt had a farm and German prisoners of war helped with the work on the farm,I remember thinking they are just people like us but they speak a funny language.
After the war was over we had a street party our guest of honour aws an ex prisoner of war. they were very hard times but people pulled together because I think hardship brings out the best in people.

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