大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the People's War website by Don and Betty Tempest of the Lancshomeguard on behalf of Oliver Hanson and added to the site with his permission.

As a child of 8years I recall visiting the nearby Secondary Modern School to be fitted out with my 'Gas Mask'. Six months later we were called back to the school to have a plate fitted on the bottom of the mask. What a blessing 'Adolph' didn't use gas during that period, as it appeared we would all have been 'gonners'. Thank Heaven gas was never used! How good were the masks? Ahhh! now there's a question.

And of course, we all had identity cards which we were supposed to carry on our person at all times - in case we were challenged to produce same by the police. I still have mine and can quote my number to this day - ORVE. 92. 3 - and we didn't pay for them! I' ve no idea how good they were, I was never stopped!

The are in which I grew up was a rural one, farms, a quarry and a pipe manufacturer. I know that in the First World War, a Zepplin dropped a bomb on a field in the area where I was now living. A cow was grazing in that field at the time and the bomb dropped by the Zepplin killed it.
Believe it or not, in the Second World War, same farm, same field, but this time a horse was grazing. The horse was killed by a bomb being dropped by a German Air-Force plane.

Rationing of food came to us all, and yet, living in a semi-rural setting, most folk kept either poultry or pigs. Those that didn't had huge gardens and grew a great many vegetables etc. Food was shared amongst neighbours, eggs for pork or bacon. Somehow we never went short of a good solid meal. The spirit of sharing was never better.

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