大象传媒

Alan Merrilees

My name is Alan Merrilees. I am 72 years old. I have lived in Wallsend most of my life. When I was eighteen years old, I went into the Army and was sent to London as part of a roving company during the war. I worked in the Royal Engineers. We were always the first in and the last out of bad areas.
Before I was old enough to join the army, I remember when the war started we would hide in the cupboard under the stairs. If you saw a house that had been bombed, the stairs were the only things still standing, so we decided that must be the safest place to be. We would always take sandwiches, flasks of water, paraffin candles, and oil lamps with us. The air raid sirens were very loud and we were all scared.
Once a bomb hit the High Street in Wallsend and many people were killed.
There would often be bombings on the Coast Road, which is the main route between Newcastle upon Tyne and the coast. This was because it was well lit. I always thought this was a big adventure before I knew what it really was.
My father was a joiner and worked on many of the big ships that came out of the Tyneside Wallsend ship yards. He worked on the Monarch Dominion and we went down to see it launched. As soon as it was out of the way they started working right away on another ship.
I was in the army for two years. While I was in London I really had a good life. There were many bombings and a lot of damage, but we still had time to go see shows and museums. It was still hard work though. Because of our job and duty we always had to look perfect.
I can remember sewing buttons back onto my uniform. My friend, I forgot his name it has been so long ago, would always lose things. Everyone else made fun of him, but I always helped him. He was a big guy and he would look out for me. He really became like a brother to me. I do not know what happened to him.
After the war, I came back to Wallsend where I returned to work in a bicycle shop. I was good with my hands, so I liked this work. It was before there were many cars, so most people had bikes.
I am now residing in St Peter鈥檚 Residential Home in Wallsend, North Tyneside.

As told to the student鈥檚 of Churchill Community College on Friday 28th November 2003.

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