大象传媒

I was 10 years old when war was declared. I lived at Balderton near Newark and attended the 'big school'. The evacuees came to us from Yarmouth and london and we doubled up the classes at school. We were issued with ration books for food and clothing coupons. food was scarce and dad grew lots of vegetables and we kept 6 chickens at the bottom of our garden for eggs, but I can't remember ever killing the hens as we treated them as pets and gave them names. We had to 'make do and mend' and 'dig for victory'. I was very frightened by the threat of invasion by the nazis and out neighbour was captured at Dunkirk. Incendiary bombs were dropped in the next street and the fire watchers put them outwith stirrup pumps and sand buckets. We were issued with gas masks in cardboard boxes and took them everywhere. We had an evening raid on a ball bearing factory, Ransome and Markes, at Newark. My brother and I were in the yeard and watched the bombs being dropped. As the plane passed over it machine gunned us. We dashed in the outside building and later dug bullets up out of the yard. One night about 11pm we heard a terriffic bang and rushed outside. One of the planesreturning from a raid had hit the trees at the top of our street and crashed on a house. 6 children and the crew were killed as the petrol tanks exploded. We felt very sad as we knew the children personally. My eldest brother joined the RAF and was posted to the Middle East but was invalided home with kidney trouble. my next brother was in the army. My sister served in the Auxillary Fire Service and dad was in the home guard. I was in the girl guides and did hospitla duties and knitted for the troops. Luckily we all survived 'til peace time.

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