大象传媒

Air Raids
Preparation for homes - cellars were made ready. Families without gardens had indoor metal shelters in the form of large tables,used as such during the day but when the bombing started it was then an airaid shelter.
Schools had to have some of the classrooms made safe and strengthened so that during an airaid the children were quite safe.During the building work classes were held 1 or 2 hours daily at nearby houses once completed, back to school we went making sure that you had your gas mask with you. The most important possession you had during the war.We lost quite a lot of schooling at this time which we never regained
During the war we lived in Stuart St., Nechells in a house that shared a toilet in a yard with another house. No garden only a yard. In the other house lived an elderly lady and her son Frank who were both very hard of hearing. It was in their cellar that my family, mum and dad, big sister and myself had to go during the airaids, the only way we could get in was to get Frank to tie a piece of rope around his wrist every night on going to bed, hanging the rope through the bedroom window and as soon as the siren went one of us had to go up the yard to give the rope a tug to wake Frank up so that we could get into the shelter.
My dad had been in the army 8th. Warwicks but the year before had to go the territorial army camp where he had a motor cycle accident, both legs being broken. He came home after 18 months in hospital in Poole and was made an officer in the Home Guard. I often think now how lucky we were, most of the 8th. Warwicks "were wiped out"
In Birmingham we had day and night raids, it was finally decided that my cousin and I would go away for two weeks to Hammerwich. When we returned home the family had moved to a house across the street, the move had been made during a night raid. Because of the severe petrol shortage and people having to work non stop they could not get a van the move had to be made at night.
We then had our own Anderson Shelter.
Some time later a bomb landed in our street and did a lot of damage to St.Clements church, Frank and another man were both very musical arranged a concert to raise money for the repairs using all the kids in the street called the "Stuart St. Kids" lots of fun for us, lots of money for the church a kind od break from the horrors of war.
The kids hobbies then were collecting shrapnel - metal from the bombs.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.