Wearside and County Durham

Boyhood Memories of WWII

I am Lewis Atkinson and I was born in Aycliffe Village, County Durham in 1934. My father, John Atkinson,...

Ten Years Service in the A.T.S.

After 3 weeks training and being kitted out in uniform I was posted to Central Ordnance Depot, Chilwell,...

Muriel's Sure Coincidence: France 1940

Then in 1943 I had a letter from the War Office to say his body had been found with another young man...

Memories of a WW2 Baby

We lived in East Anglia for a while until Dad was posted to Burma and then Mum and I moved back to...

My Evacuation 1940-42

We were only there for about 4 or 5 weeks because my sister Nora developed measles and was very homesick...

A Teenager in Wartime Sunderland

I will always remember the night a bomb landed on the railway station in Sunderland — the explosion...

Sunderland during the war

Gordon wasn't evacuated, although many children from Sunderland were. Although many of Gordon's...

"A Sure Sign!": Memories of Hartlepool

In May of 1939, recalled Jane, a new submarine, the ‘Thetis’, sank during the sea trials in...

The War Years in Willington

We arrived in London on the night of September 2nd to a total blackout and had to make our way to...

A Change of Residence

Life began to change.Barnard Castle was a garrison town and the young conscripts were marched through on...

My Memories as a Child in the Second World War

He was stationed at Blackpool and I remember going with my Mum to stay there for a few days before he went...

Lest We Forget: County Durham

During World War 1 my father had been a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Naval Division - which despite its...

My Experience as a Bevan Boy In WW2

I was sent to Stanley in Co.Durham,the mine was The South Derwent Coal Co,a 100yr old pit... I have a...

War through a Childs Eye

As I lie here of sleep deprived, I cast my mind to the years I thrived, As a babe in arms my...

Coming Home

I can still remember the day he came home although I was only about 5 years old,I remember all the family...

Wartime Ferryhill

My Dad and Grandad were both miners,my Grandad was allowed to work until he was 70 because of the war... It...

Hard Times and Good Times During the War

My dad was a miner in Stanley; he also did voluntary work for the ARP. Beamish Hall was the family home of...

The Day I was Called Up

Doris couldn't come to the station with me on account of the baby so my father-in-law came down to take...

Bombs Gone

Then the first bomb burst onto a house almost directly opposite ours, which we found out later had caused...

Civilian Life Through World War 2

Molly Maughn was in her early 20's when it all started, World War 2... Molly admitted it wasn't all...

War Time Bride

My fiancé was serving in France with the BEF in 1939; he came home to be married on May 4th 1940... In...

Aycliffe Angel

I worked in the munitions factory in Aycliffe, County Durham... I was at Aycliffe for about 2 years and...

The Aycliffe Angels

The name "The Aycliffe Angels" originates from a German Radio broadcast about the factory made by...

Youth During the War: J E Stuart

Two raids stick in my mind during my time at prep school during the Battle of Britain, where we were...

My experiences in London during WW2

We reached a point where we couldn't go any further and drifted down to Stanley where we spent the...

Sea Chest

Jim and his brother Tom who lived in Albion Street, Murton were sitting on the family sea chest in front of...