大象传媒

Being only 6 at the start of the war, the years 1939 - 45 were not the horror that touched the lives of people actually fighting, or who had relatives in the front line. My father had lost an eye in the First World War and was a railwayman at Goring-By-Sea Station for 58 years.

Thus for children like me, this was a thrilling and exciting time. We would watch the dogfights 10,000 feet overhead, collect cartridge cases as they came down and seek shrapnel from the very few bombs which fell in the area.

When the siren went early in the morning, we would listen anxiously hoping not to hear the "All Clear" - if it didn't sound before 9am, no school!

There were many Canadian soldiers in the area, its fair to say that no-one had a bad word for them - they were wonderful. One platoon manned a Bofors Gun in Limerick Lane, Goring and would let you sit on it and turn the gun when there was no alert. Unfortunately, many of these fine young men died in the Dieppe Raid.

As to surviving the War, well it was a fact that most ordinary people enjoyed a better lifestyle in 1945 than pre-1939: Food was fairly rationed; there was full employment and you had money in your pocket.

My dad was in the Home Guard and he and the rest of his crack outfit (!) were set to defend their HQ to the last man - the Bull Inn!

Of course, as one got a bit older, the rosy picture of the very young began to change and as 12 year olds, we celebrated the end of hostilities like everyone else. But looking back, I still think that nostalgia tells me that life was pretty pleasant for some youngsters in the War.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.