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The war began when I was seven years old. It was a time of great change. Blackout, heavy curtains at every window which were criss-crossed with adhesive brown paper to avoid the danger from flying glass. We had gas masks in case of a gas attack. We had to queue at the local police station for additional filters as the Germans developed new gasses. We had an Anderson shelter in the back garden. It consisted of hooped corrugated steel panels over a five foot deep hole. The loose earth and grass sods were placed on top of the steel roof.The air raid sirens disturbed my sleep at all times of the night.Our house backed onto a high brick walled convent garden. A land mine, a large iron sphere filled with explosive attached to a parachute exploded in the convent garden. Our house was badly damaged and we were placed in a local hall.There was no privacy, you slept side by side with the rest of "bombed out" families.
I used to call for my friend on the way to school. He lived above a shop. Oner morning the shop had disappeared, instead there was a pile of rubble. He and his parents were dead.I was the eldest of six children. We were all evacuated to Egerton, north of Bolton, Lancashire. We were bussed there, each of us had a white label with are name age and address. We all stood in the local church hall. A female billeting officer and the local vicar greeted the local people who chose one or more children, it was like being in a cattle market. My brother Eric and I were left, no one chose us. Finally the vicar took us to the vicarage where we were stripped and bathed in the hotest water I have ever experienced. We were put in a large double bed and fed with pobs, bread hot milk and sugar. I spent a year in Egerton, moving from one house to another I was finally lodged with a Mrs Barnes who treated me like a prince. A huge change from the previous billets.Rationing played a large part in the war and for some years afterwards. Queues happened at all shops especially when the bush telegraph reported that bananas were being sold at a local shop! Clothing coupons a black-market commodity. Cigarettes were very scarce. I have seen men picking up discarded fag ends to make rollups. I remember walking home in the dark searching for the white painted gateposts to our house.I remember the horse drawn wagons carrying coal,milk, bread and cakes. The introduction of allotments to grow vegetables. One man grew tomatoes in a small greenhouse. He made a small truck with pram wheels. He paid me sixpence for a full load of horsemuckshovelled up from the side roads. The war ended with banners and trumpets. My uncle killed on active service didn't see or hear the celebrations.

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