大象传媒

These are a few little snippets of memory that my mum has told me of what she remembers as a child during WW2.
My mum lived with her Mum,Dad, younger sister Patricia and baby brother John.She remembers always having to carry a gask mask which was kept in a cardboard box together with a chocolate bar incase they were in a place without food during an air raid. She said that air raids lasted for many hours. In their Anderson shelter they kept boardgames and cards and often took flasks of Camp coffee with them.
Her first memory was of the Battle of Britain. She was eight years old and living in Carshalton in Surrey. She had gone to a friends house to play after school.They were in the back garden playing when they noticed lots of rumbling noises. Her friends Dad came outside and as they all looked up they saw planes firing at each other. My Mum was terrified and ran hell for leather back home. She found out later that this had been the start of the Battle of Britain.
A very amusing memory she had was of an air raid incident.
The sirens went off and asusual they all went into the Anderson shelter which was in the garden and built of crrugated iron. Most fo the air raids happened at night but this particular one was first thing in the morning.A young lady was walking past the house and as was the norm if an air raid sounded people were invited to join the family in their shelter until it was safe to leave.
When the all-clear sound started they made their way out but unfortunately the young lady caught her heel in the rather full potty and sent wee splashing everywhere! Although highly embarrassed,everyone saw the funny side and it brought a bit of much needed light relief to the otherwise serious events going on around them.
Friends of Mum's parents knew of a place to stay in Norfolk.It was decided that the family(except for her Dad) would evacuate to Heacham in Norfolk from June to Octber in 1940 as it would be much safer than where they were presently living. My Mum was nine at the time.
They lived in a field near the sea and their accomadation was a double decker bus!
'Upstairs' were two double beds and 'downstairs' was the living area. The cabin where the driver would normally sit was converted into a tiny kitchen, with a small range where her mother managed to bake pies and pastries etc.
They ate very well whilst living here with fresh eggs and milk always available.A new and exciting experience for her and her sister was to watch the cows being milked and also joining in with other farming activities. Another past-time she remembers well was mushrooming in the nearby fields and having lovely fresh mushrooms for breakfast most days.
Soon after they arrived they were all alarmed to be woken one night by awful banging on the sides of the bus. However, on investigation they discovered some cows were nudging it!
When they went down to the beach, they were shocked to discover it was covered in huge brick pillars and were told it was to stop any enemy landing there.
My Mum says even now, that the time spent in Norfolk was some of the happiest days she has had and it was hard to believe that there was a terrible war going on not so very far away.

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