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This story was submitted to the People's War site by the Barnsley Archives and Local Studies Departmentand Laura Dixon from Darton Community School on behalf of Maureen Wood and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."

I was born during the war. Dad was a miner but was laid off work for 3 or 4 weeks. He was then called up to fight in the war. Another man called Mr Dyson went with him. Mr Dyson had heard that his brother was missing in the war and they went looking for him.

We lived in Worsbrough Bridge with my grandparents. My mum stayed at home and looked after her. My grandmother was a wonderful cook. She showed me how to make butter. She took the cream off the top of the milk and shook it in a bottle and it turned into butter. We had no hot water out of a tap. The radio ran on an accumulator battery.

There weren’t any antibiotics during the war and when my appendix burst I had to have sulphonide injections. The surgeon at Barnsley Becket’s Hospital was Mr Butters.

At Christmas I put my stocking up and money was put into it and also into the Christmas pudding. New peggy rugs were made to put in front of the hearth for Christmas as well.

Most kids went to the Sunday School and they took us on a trip each year.

People made a lot of their own clothes by sewing and knitting and darning! They didn’t have a lot of money and things were bought by a lot of people by paying weekly.

I can remember my dad being home for my third birthday and he bought me some chocolate.

My dad, even though he was fighting the Germans, always thought they were good people. He joined the British Legion. His birthday was on 6th June, the same date as D Day.

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