大象传媒

I only became aware of the importance of writing down memories a few years ago when my neice happened to mention that her son had received information from his great grandfather about his experiences as a Japanese prisoner of war, for a school project on World War 2.

Although I was born at the end of the war I was able to pass on the things my mother had told me about her life as a civilian at that time.

Mother desperately wanted to join the Wrens but was turned down because she was too small. Thus she ended up in amunitions factory in Leicester making bombs for the war effort.

During her time there, there was many times when the sirens went as the enemy flew overhead with there deadly cargo of bombs.

There was also the risk of explosions from the materials with which they were working, accidents could and did occasionally happen.

It was during her time in the munitions that Coventry was badly bombed, this had a profound affect upon my mother for the rest her life.

She spoke of survivors flocking into Leicester and the surrounding towns in a bid to escape the horrors of what they had witnessed, and the pain which was etched on their faces

On the rare times when she managed to get away for a few days she would travel to Greenwich in London to visit her sister my Aunt who lived there.

On one Saturday Morning, the local Woolworth store was packed with mothers and their children out spending their pocket money, when a bomb landed on the shop killing many many of them. This left a profound and deep impression on my mother, and would bring a tear to her eye whenever she recalled this particular horror.

On another occasion when staying in Greenwich, the sirens went off one night, unfortunately there was not enough room in the bomb shelter in the garden for my mother, as my aunt had three children and her husband was home on leave from his job as a boot repairer for the army, so the shelter was full to capacity.

As my mother lay in bed she heard what she called the deadly whine of the doodlebug, it stopped and she thought her time had come, Only it hadn't and she found herself on the floor surrounded by broken glass from the windows.

The next thing she heard was my uncle calling her name, as mother was unable to find her spectacles in the dark he picked her up and carried her down the stairs to safety.

Sadly the bomb had landed on a house behind theirs in the next street, the family survived, but unfortunately rescuers carried out the bodies of a mother and her five children. Everyone of them died from gas poisoning escaping from a fractured gas pipe

Mother also spoke of a priest who was climbing up to the top of the church tower sending messages to the German pilots passing overhead by torchlight. This caused an immense amount of damage before his hienous crimes were discovered and he was arrested. This happened either in Lewisham or Catford I can't remember which but she often pointed out the church tower when I was young.

Finally I have to make mention of my father who was busy desighning bombs for the war, ironic considering my mother was making them.

Eventally the required height for Wrens was lowered but unfortunately my mother contracted gunpowder poioning at this time and my mother was never able to fulfill her dream to become a wren.

As mentioned at the start of my story my own memories are pretty limited to facts such as the many bomb sights arround us in London, we took these for granted as children, to us they had always been there.

The one across the road to our home had been used as reservoir for the firefighters water requirements were in very short supply during the war.

The other things that I personally recollect was the shortage of paper of all descriptions, toilet paper being the biggest moan as our teacher dished our allotted sheets, but also writing paper, in order to conserve paper we were taught to write on a slate with chalk first.

Most of our clothes were home knitted or sewn, or hand me downs. finally I cannot close without passing mention to the ration book, yes everybody used them it was a necessary part of daily life.

Finally I cannotclose without mentioning the ration book everybody had them, they were a vital necessity

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