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The first air raid I can recall was on Easter Tuesday in 1939. My boyfriend and I were walking along the Donegal Road when we heard the first wail of the sirens. It was a terrifying and we had to dash for cover until it ended. My boyfriend, who later became my husband lost his cousin Hughie Smith shortly after that.
In 1940 we used the air raid shelters to pass the time we would sing songs and tell stories,although many a time we hid under the stairs ,under the kitchen table or in the coalhouse. I also remember the Air Raid Wardens coming round to check there wasn't as much as a chink of light escaping from the houses and telling you of if there was.
My husband worked in the shipyard and I remember the Barrage Balloons floating all round the yard to protect it from attack.
It was a frightening time epecially during the Blitz when so many bombs were exploding every night and you never knew where they would land next. I hope never to see the like of it again.

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