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I was three years old when the war started, living in Pelton, Co. Durham.

My Dad went into the RAF, later in the war. He was stationed at Blackpool and I remember going with my Mum to stay there for a few days before he went to Egypt.
I can remember the rationing, my Mum used to mix butter and marg together to make it go further because there wasn’t much butter then. All the sweets were rationed, tea, coffee, everything. They used to use powdered egg — there were no fresh eggs. But my Dad had a friend who lived in America and he used to send us a package with sweets, chocolates and American comics which you couldn’t get over here. I used to swap the comics for a ride on the boys’ bikes. He used to say don’t keep it out a long time but I did!!

I remember the broadcasts on the radio — the Germans trying to frighten us.

At school during the war, I remember the local fairground Nobels, didn’t travel so their children came to our school. And we also had air raid shelters that we went to during the war and we had to carry our little masks wherever we went. When the sirens used to go we had shelters at home but we all used to sit under the table.

When my father came back from the war, the whole street put flags up right down the street. Also, we had a big street party at the end of the war. It was marvellous with lights hung all along the streets.

My father was in Egypt when my brother was born and he was 10 months old before my father saw him. While he was there, he met up with my uncle who was in the Navy. My uncle was on the submarines and one or two of them that he was on had sunk but he always escaped. He had been on the Hood but wasn’t onboard when it was sunk.

I used to travel to my grandparents in Preston through the war and the trains were always packed in soldiers and sailors — sitting on their cases in corridors and everywhere.

I can’t remember anyone being killed near where we lived but there was a bomb at Beamish which was down the road from us and I think people were killed there. I think the bomb landed without exploding and people went to see it and it exploded while they were there.

I had two aunties in the WAFs — one had been in the Land Army first.

It didn’t seem to be an unhappy time because it brought people closer and everybody helped each other. A lot of the men were at war so the women helped each other. The only sad part was that my father was away. I can remember coming home from school and a neighbour telling me that my Dad was back and I ran home as quick as I could to see him.

As told to Jeanette Woods

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