大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/大象传媒 Radio Nottingham on behalf of Claire Gardner with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was born in 1941 in a nursing home in Kiddlington, Oxfordshire. I lived there until I was 18months old and then I moved back to Sulton, Surrey. We had a brick built shelter at the bottom of the garden, but we never used that much. Instead we used next door's, it was a community spirit thing. My mother used to make 'walking sticks' from 'National Dried Milk' and peppermint essence. I had a little cape in Prince of Wales check.

A lot of people wouldnt go down to the shelters, they said 'if they were going to get bombed they were going to get bombed.'

A bomb blast hit our house, the windows were smashed, but the goldfish was still swimming around! The woman who lived next door had made new curtains that were shredded. My mother said, 'I told her not to make new curtains'.

This home up the road was being demolished because it was badly damaged from a bomb blast. We went down to watch.

I remember Cod Liver Oil, Virol, thick brown like treacle. I also remember the Morrison shelters under the tables.

I remember the rationing - I would have been about 10, and we used to go to a sweet shop near Carshalton Library every fortnight.

I can remember an American woman coming round with candy. They came to the school. I remember the chewing gum - yellow wax, you had to say you liked it, but it was horrible.

The only time I sensed any fear was going out into the garden with my mother, she showed me the planes and searchlights- it was like daylight.

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