大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Stoke-on-Trent Libraries on behalf of Rose Knight and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

My three brothers and two sisters and I came with our mother to my aunt's house(Dad's sister) when I was ten years old. We had come from Portsmouth where the factory behind the house had been bombed. Immediately afterwards 20-30 families were taken to a church hall on a hill and then we lived in an air raid shelter for several months.The naval barracks brought hot food to the homes so there was no real hunger.We came to Tunstall in only the clothes we were wearing.
My father was in the Navy and so was away for most of time and not in touch during the war ,so when we saw him ,his beard had grown so much we didn't recognise him at all.He was in for 43 years in all.
We attended school on a part time basis and coming north it was the first time I ever saw snow.School made me feel nervous at start in a new place and the accent was strange,I have only retained the early accent in some words.
My aunt was not happy having us all living with her as she had no children of her own.We stayed six months with her and then got a house of our own.
I felt great anger against the enemy and remember my mother crying many times as she was harrasssed trying to keep all the children together.
I do remember seeing some gruesome parts of people after bad bombing raids ,which could last up to two weeks. The street air raid shelter was totally bombed. We used to make up songs in the shelter.

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