大象传媒

I soon adapted, made friends, got in a routine, enjoyed staying with the Carrs and so started a very happy time in my life.

I had one day off a week and split shift duties the rest of the time. I went home the night before my day off and by that time my parents had a married couple, an airman and his wife, billeted with them.

I got 拢2 a week and paid the Carrs 拢1 board and lodgings. I felt very independent and well off, never having had a wage before and the first thing I bought was a dressing gown, never having had one. Each week, I put a fifteen shilling (15s) certificate into the War effort, which earned interest and was tax free.

Every day was different and so interesting for me, it was like another world. I looked forward to letters from Harold in Egypt and of course they were censored. Mrs Carr put them on the mantelpiece and that was the first place I looked when I came in.

In May, the Germans were pouring through the low countries and the French and British were moving up into Belgium to oppose the Nazi army of an unknown strength, and the men adn women at home faced up to the realities of war.

The Belgium army was forced to surrender in May. Likewise Holland, who were greatly outnumbered, were forced to lay down their arms.

Then the war really started in Britain. In May 1940, Sir Anthony Eden broadcast an appeal for local defence volunteers and police stations from all over Britain were besieged by would-be servicemen on the Home Front, who were to be ready for an invasion that seemed inevitable at that time. Churchill renamed the group the Home Guard, who were men over the age limit to be called up. This body of men became a very valuable help to the community, thus releasing thousands of servicement for service abroad.

Italy entered the war in June, which was a big shock to the Brits.

In June 1940, after severe fighting, the Brits had to retreat from Dunkirk, about 340,000 managed to get away. The beaches were full, every available ship was involved, even the Isle of Man and the little River Mersey ferry boats. It was a wonderful achievement to have rescued so many, but we did have heavy losses. We had some sad cases and I didn't find it easy to be impersonal and not take things to heart. The winters of 1940 and 1941 were very cold and we had thick snow, I was one of the few who didn't have flu that year.

One of the great inconveniences of the war was the "blackout", especially in the winter, no lights had to be showing and a familiar shout from our air-raid warden was "put the light out". Another phrase was "don't you know there is a war on?"

In August the Battle of Britain was fought over the English Channel and the south coast of England. Hitler thought he would put an end to Britain, 400 enemy aircraft launched the first stage and our Hurricanes and Spitfires went out to meet them, but were heavily outnumbered. Men and women from the south looked up to watch the dogfight in the sky. By the evening of 8 August, 21 enemy aircraft were sent crashing into the sea and a total of 60 destroyed.

Three days later the enemy returned with 1,000 aircraft and did a lot of damage, but lost 180.

People in the streets and labourers in the fields looked up and could see the specks in the sky. Thus in ten days, the enemy lost 697 for certain, the RAF 153 and 60 pilots safe. Churchill in one of his famous speeches giving a review of the war, spoke of the gratitude of the people to the British airmen for turning the tide of the war. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed to so many by so few."

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