大象传媒

I was only eight years of age when world war two was declared, it did not mean much to me at the time. My education was limited to elementary school. Geography was an unknowm planet to me.
However I did have an aunt and uncle who were avid cyclists, they had ridden all over europe on their tandem, I paid them a visit and the kindly took out many maps and tourist books to show mw where Germany was and they showed me some of the countries the nazis had invaded. Even so not much changed for me, my school changed a little one of the buildings was taken over by the emergency services A.R.P. Ambulence etc. But as a kid in pendleton salford we just seemed to carry on.
Then an army of builders decended into the terraced streets where we lived, and they built huge brick and concrete air raid shelters in the middle of the streets, two in ours.
We were advised to sleep in these but my mother would have none of that and we slept under the table.
Some weeks later my mother was very weepy, she was packing a small case and explained to me that my school was being moved to the countryside to keep us safe from possible air raids, it did not occur to me that this would mean that maybe they might not be safe. The following Monday morning my mother took me to school, this was unusual it meant she did not go to work. I was all togged up with my raincoat, cap, and gas mask over my shoulder, buses soon arrived and we said out tearful goodbyes and were whisked off to manchesters victoria station.
After what seemed an eternity we arrived in the Rossendale Valley waterfoot was a million miles from Salford, Hills and green fields all round little wonder we were all looking round with our mouths open. People began to appear and a lady with a large paper began to call our names one by one each of us were trundled off with one of these couples.
The lady and gentleman I was introduced to were older than my mum and dad but they had kindly faces, 'come along to the car ' he said. I was stunned no-one i knew in Salford had a car, I later learned he was a traveller. This lovely couple took me to their home once again my mouth fell open, it was a lovely semi detatched house surrounded by gardens remember i had just come from a two up two down terraced in a cobbled street where the only grass to be seen grew between the flags.
Nature then took a grip on me! I needed the toilet! Sheepishly i asked my new foster parents where it was 'straight up the stairs first on the left' was the reply. Now i was sure i was in a dream world surely you do not have a toilet inside the house. They werev lovely people but i was homesick. It was only a few months later I returned to my beloved salford just in time for the christmas Blitz.
But that is another story.

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