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Written by my Mother who was born 02.12.1919 in Islandmagee Northern Ireland
Although I was born in Ireland from the age of seven my home was in Allerton Liverpool. At the time war broke out I was a student at Hereford Teacher Training College in the middle of a two year training course.
During the summer of 1939 I was chosen to go to Granville in Northern France to stay with a family who had a daughter Denise, about my own age who wanted to improve her English. The family owned a small hotel and were always busy, so we were very much left to our own devises. We enjoyed ourselves with a crowd of Denise’s friends. With them I visited Le Mons Sans Michel and other places. After three weeks of rumors talking of impending war, the War Office advised all British citizens to return home, so I left Granville prematurely. I never heard from the family again, so I don’t know if I was any help with Denise’s English or know how the family fared during the German occupation.
On my arrival home I reported to a school where I was supposed to do some vacation teaching, observation and practice. Instead I spent my time issuing gas masks and showing mothers how to use the baby masks and Mickey Mouse children’s masks.
We were recalled to college earlier than expected. We spent those extra days making black out curtains and doing other jobs to put us on “a war footing”. This second year at college was pretty uneventful for us and we were able to continue our studies and teaching practices. One event however sticks out in my mind the evacuation from Dunkirk.
I and the other girls from the college were called to the railway station to help serve tea and sandwiches to the soldiers being taken by train to centre’s up north, so they could be sorted out and returned to their regiments. Although they looked a raggle-taggle bunch of guys — ill clothed and unclean, I marveled at their resilience and good humour after such experiences on the French beaches and didn’t they love the food and English cuppa we were able to supply.
My father Capt William Smyth was a Captain in the Merchant Navy and during the Second World War he mostly traveled from N.E England to the South Coast through the Straits of Dover or “HELL FIRE CORNER” as it was called among the seamen. They carried coal to keep the power stations working. The ships on that route were called the “Suicide Squad” and were often attacked especially with gunfire from around Calais in France.
On 22.5.1940 he wrote me a letter from the port of Rouen with a description of events covering a seven-day period whilst he was waiting for permission to leave the port for England. He described the refugees he saw and his thoughts on events. He also told of his meetings with other sailors in same situation and their discussions. The letter was posted to me from Swansea on his safe return to England on the 31 May 1940. A transcript of the letter is at the end of my story.
Later in the war his ship was hit by a mine and sunk off Portsmouth — all the crew were rescued and were taken to the Halsar Navel Hospital. My father had been hit on the head when the protective concrete slabs from around the wheelhouse had collapsed onto him. When he regained consciousness, one of his crew spoke to him saying “How are you feeling Skipper?” When the Sister overheard the word Skipper he told me she became very agitated saying he should be in the Officers Ward. Captain Smyth however refused to be moved, saying if he could get blown up with his men he could get better with them, so there he remained until he was well enough to go home and back to sea. He was awarded the M.B.E in 1946 for meritorious sea service.
In June 1940 I left college with my Teaching Diploma qualification and in August I began my probationary year at Springwood Infants School back home in Liverpool, the same school at which I had been a pupil when I first came to England at the age of seven. Much of the first year teaching was spent in the bomb shelters with the children because Liverpool had become a prime target for German bombers. Often the little ones would sleep in the mornings on camp beds as they had been awake all night and lessons would be held in the afternoons. We were very lucky being at the southern end of Liverpool where bomb damage was fairly light, whereas parts of the Northern end were flattened as the bombers aimed to destroy the thirteen miles of docks.
I also became more involved in Bowden Road Church and Sunday school especially as gradually the men folk were being called up for War services. I belonged to and helped run the Christian Endeavour (for the younger age group) and the Young People’s Fellowship (for the older young people) so I seemed to spend most of my free time at Church.
I celebrated my 21st birthday on 2nd December 1940 and we had booked a party at Reece’s in Clayton Square. Unfortunately there had been a raid the night before and all the windows of the restaurant had been blown out. When we arrived we found the windows boarded up and the curtains hanging in shreds. However they had miraculously made a meal for us, which we all enjoyed but we were advised to leave as early as possible and disperse away from the city centre to the comparative safety of our own homes. They fully expected the enemy to return that night to continue the bombing guided by the fires still burning from the previous night’s onslaught.
During the war we fared better than most as occasionally my father’s relatives or fiends in Northern Ireland would make trips to the Irish State and could buy things not on ration there. Tins of butter were a particular treat. I also had an Aunt Sarah my fathers’ older sister who had emigrated to Australia in approx 1910. She sent us parcels from Australia, tinned fruit and meats, which were greatly prized. These parcels where wrapped in wool and then sewn into cotton flour bags. My mother would carefully unpick these and make tea cloths, wash and wind the wool and knit garments, nothing was wasted. My mother and I “Dug for Victory” in our large back garden, our lawn was replaced by rows of potatoes, carrots, peas and cabbage etc.
Some of the school children had the opportunity to be evacuated to North Wales, considered to be safer. So some of the teachers had to be evacuated too and I spent the next three years going from school to school to fill the gaps left by these teachers and those male teachers called up to serve in the forces. None of the schools closed for the usual holidays and teachers could only have half their holiday entitlement as our time was spent running play schemes so the children were occupied whilst their mothers did various types of war work.
When the war was over in I met my husband Raymond he had just arrived home on demob leave after nearly four years in India with the R.A.F. and looked quite hansome with his tropical tan.

Transcript of letter from my father Captain William Smyth. Apologies for the grammar, he left school at thirteen.

Delayed here having cement slabs put in and around the wheelhouse for Air Protection. We hope to leave tomorrow for Cowes I.O.W. We berthed at 4pm yesterday and were loaded at 9pm quick work 750 tons. W.S.

S.S “Afon Fowy”
Rouen
22.5.40

My Dear Brenda,
I am as you see writing this at Rouen but will not get it posted until we get back to England. We arrived here on Saturday 18th and will finish today but at the moment I cannot say when we shall be able to sail, as our position here is none too good. Andy Wright is here ready to sail since noon on Sunday but port is closed. Well what will interest you in this letter is the refugee’s problem; hundreds of thousands are passing through here from Belgium and North France. What a sight, this is the tenth day and no end to the line of cars of all sorts and bikes, everything that can go on wheels are is in use for transport and all have a blanket with them. Cars with beds on top etc, no space left, packed to its fullest capacity. I thought on Sunday I would go ashore and see the sights and walking along not far from the ship four men came out from a works. They lifted their hats to the sentry as I passed and I looked at them and thought I know there faces, who are they? and walked on a bit thinking, then I looked at the building and it resembled Antwerp Potash berth154. Then I turned sharply and says “well well! what are you doing here” and one says “Captain Smyth what a surprise, I was wishing some one would turn up with a cigarette”, so I says “come and get some”. So I gave them 200 cig’s and they were pleased. I had to go and see where they had stopped to have coffee, they only had one or two cups and were using jam jars etc. What a time it is! Well I watched the stream of refugees pass along, oh dear what a sight! While I stood on Sunday a man on bike had a pillow over the cross bar and one over the handle bar. His little girl about 2 or 3 with long hair was with her little arms hanging over the front fast asleep. Then the mother I presume, just behind with another child on a bike with a few belongings, it is all too sad to think about. Now while writing a Captain came and said “All crews of the ships are leaving them up in Rouen and walking out of it - this caused an alarm. I went on the phone and got orders “Come at once for orders and be ready to sail at once”. Now I had about 8 miles to walk so I called the Captain of a Limerick ship astern of us and he had to do the same. He got a worse fright. I and he had to have a Brandy to steady his nerves. This is twice I have walked this also this other captain and Andy Wright is in Rouen he met us and says you may as well go back but I said I am going to get my papers and so I did but by now the storm had passed. People who had left the ships, offices and houses etc were again returning. What a relief as we really thought we all had to go on the tramp with the others. I was told by a Commander here R.N. that they had cut the Germans off and taken four hundred thousand prisoners so I said why take prisoners!?. It is a sight here I shall never forget, some of the cars passing through have bullet holes where they were machine gunned. A Belgian woman had to jump from her bed pull a coat over her night dress she had 5 children got them into her car with a few belongings and three of her children were killed by machine gun bullets. I believe hundreds of refugees have been killed by getting mixed up in the fighting. Our soldiers have a hard job on over here. The Red Caps are working day and night one might say and our people grumbling at home - it is only one who sees what is going on can realise it. Anyhow with it all everything through this city seems to be going on in the best of harmony. Some cars broke down, next one takes him in tow. Garage men are working full strength people around the pumps like bees looking for oil and petrol etc. If it was not so serious it would be funny. One little boy about 8 passed me yesterday on his little bike like the one you had in the hall at home his elder brother I presume was helping him along then comes the walking worst of all Mothers with little ones holding on to her skirt trooping along worn out. One I hope will never see a sight like this again war today is terrible. I stayed on board the “Stock Force” Monday night owing to it being so far to walk, the Captain made me stay and yesterday, Wednesday a Finnish Captain invited me to go and stay onboard his ship. So you see how we are all friends in these times. I had dinner twice with Andy Wright. He wanted me to stay but I thought I’d better get on my own ship now we are bottled in here with these magnetic mines at the entrance. When they sweep then up he lay more. If we live to see this war over and I think we shall win. Andy Wright is ready to leave since Sunday its now Thursday and no news of getting away yet — we are all ready to leave at a moments notice. I had to laugh yesterday at a big Shetland Captain when he told me he had been on the road away from his ship. He is about 6ft 2” or 3” and big with it. I should have liked to have seen him with his bag on his back going to tramp towards Caen. He said had burned all their secret books etc etc so you can think how near it was to us. Well I think I have told you enough for you to realise. Oh! Yesterday at the British Consul office a boy about 18 came in asking for help. He was an American citizen from Brussels he had lost his parents had no money and all the Consul told him was to go on to LeHarve another 60 miles. I have worried over that not giving that boy some money. Andy and another Captain said there are thousands like him so I say but this is one we knew of and I do feel it which they agree with me so now I close for today Thursday 23rd with love and kisses from Dad xxxx
29/5/40 I hope to arrive in Swansea tomorrow so as you are going home I may send this on home. Our food is about run out now so we will be ready for a feed tomorrow and as usual it is half-day holiday tomorrow. W.S.
P.S. Just had a letter from Kewil telling that the old “Delside” had been sunk. I was in her before I joined the “Calcaria” W.S.

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