大象传媒

My name is Marie, I am 90+, and I was a Supervision Manager.
We trained in Fire Drill, Gas Training and how to reassure people who panicked then helped to get them into the shelters.
I worked in a store which had more than 100 employees. When the first bomb dropped on the "Spillers Flour mill" our customers naturally panicked and ran in all directions !
We had to shepherd them into the basement shelter. I remember one of the girls went round with smelling salts, telling the people it was good, but after the raid we found that it was only Eau de cologne !
One lady came to me in tears, saying "I've lost my Jimmy, he'll be scared, please find him " I looked everywhere but couldn't find the child as all the children in the shelter had their parents with them. I asked what Jimmy was wearing, as there were no children about, then she said "it's my HUSBAND that's lost !
When the siren went off I had to don my tin hat,and with my gas mask around my neck and carrying a stirrup pump climb a ladder through a trap door onto the roof of a third floor building. Then I had to walk along a pathway in the roof for several streets.
For Fire training we had to go into a tent inside Red barns police station, which was then filled with smoke and we had to crawl along the floor on all fours , choking.
For Gas training we were put inside a locked cabin, then a tear bomb was thrown in and we couldn't see anything, also we had been told not to touch our eyes.
In the black out there were smoke screens , like high chimneys to hide important points.
and the water pipes in the town were all beside the kerbs which were dangerous in the dark.
Shrapnel also bounced off the lamposts and pavements
There was a first aid post near the shipyard
and when it was our duty we went straight from work to stay all night in case of any trouble.
The noise from the bombs and planes was terrible in the darkness.
From Byker bridge the shelter stretched right through to St. Thomas' church with a hopital there. Work hours were shorter and at teatime people made their way to the shelters loaded with mattresses and suitcases. Gas masks were always at the ready.
The all clear signal was a new start to another day, but people didn't know what they would find when they got home.
Food was rationed, -dried eggs were awful and
I swore that I would never eat margarine again !

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