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My War, by Hilda Aram (née Doody)

I was born and brought up in Doncaster. I have a very clear recollection of listening to the “wireless” on September 3rd 1939, with my family. We heard the Prime Minister announce “…we are now at war with Germany”.
I was 12½ at the time and had no idea what to expect, or that the war would last so long. The air raid siren went that same morning; it was of course a false alarm. War seemed so very far away that summer morning, and to me nothing seemed to have changed.

It did very quickly though!

Rationing of food, the blackout, food and clothes coupons, an Anderson shelter in the back garden, all the usual restrictions of war-time. Gas masks, which had to be taken everywhere, and at all times.
We were also issued with Identity Cards — I still have mine!

We couldn’t attend school (Oswin Avenue Girls School, Balby) until their air raid shelters were built, so the summer holidays stretched on and on. When we eventually went back it was on a part-time basis as the shelters only had room for half the school. So, part-time school for me! Some of us attended in the morning, and the rest in the afternoon.

When I left school, I worked for Timothy Whites & Taylors chemists. I attended night school for two nights a week for theoretical and practical pharmacy. Because of the war some drugs were not available, so the N.F.W. came into being — the National War Formulary. I was exempt from war work, as working at the chemists was considered essential war work.

Ivan and I had known each other for a long time and we got engaged in December 1944. He was a wireless operator on a bomber, which I knew to be a very dangerous job. He was the youngest member of the crew when he started (19), but the oldest by the end. The crews of Bomber Command were going out night after night and the casualties were very high. Ivan’s two cousins, and his best friend, were killed in raids over Germany. Waiting to know he was safe was the most harrowing thing.

Ivan and his crew were all awarded medals - Ivan got the D.F.C. - and we were all very proud of him. His medal and commendation arrived through the post as the King was ill and couldn’t hold investitures in the usual way.

Ivan, as a radio operator, was the last man in the crew to be rotated. After completing his tour of duty he was put on training, but he found flying with inexperienced crews so dangerous that he asked to be put back on operations — he felt safer flying over Germany! One example he gave was when his plane was coming into land and the trainee pilot queried why the ground was sending up red flares. Ivan pointed out that he had not lowered his landing gear…

Two of Ivan’s abiding memories of the war were “Operation Manna”, dropping bread over occupied Holland, as the Germans had flooded the country by opening the dykes. And, when the war finished, being involved in bringing our prisoners home from German prison camps. He was also called upon by US officers to be a witness to the Malthausen Death Camp.

We were very much in love. When we were married, someone remarked about his dangerous job and that we may not have a long marriage. By the Grace of God, we had 57 years together.

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