大象传媒

I was five when the War started.

My father joined the Royal Navy in 1913 and served during the First World War. Overall he served in the Navy for 22 years. On the Outbreak of the Second World War, my father was called up to serve again. He didn't serve in the Navy for the full length of the War, but on his return he become as a Night Watchman.

My father had an allotment and some chickens. I fed the chickens a mixture of potato peelings (which were boiled up) and mixed meal. It smelt horrible.

My mother made pullthroughs during the War when she was an outworker for Tuckers. Rationing wasn't too much of problem for my Mum. My Auntie lived with us, [Mother, Brother and myself) during the War. My auntie worked on making camoflage netting at Rendall Coombes.

I attended school at St Mary's School, which was down Gundry Lane. We walked school each morning through the fields, which aren't there now - its all roads. We had evacuees at our school. I made friends with some of them. Some of the evacuees stayed in Bridport after War.

After school during the summer evenings we rode our bikes to West Bay. To watch the boys and evacuees play water-polo.

There was a Youth Club, part of the Congregational Church, in East Street, where we would hold dances. Miss Scoury would teach us ballroom dances - we enjoyed it!

We didn't like the darkness. It was too black. But when the searchlights were going we would wait and run trying to catch the ligths.

The air raid sirens sounded regularly. One time, I remember my father opening the curtains, on seeing some bombs, he said 'We may stay in bed.'

We were all happy and relieved when the War was over.

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