My teenage years

I was thirteen when W.W.2 began. My parents had told me over the years how awful the Great War had been, and that if ever there was another war "Bombs would rain from the skies".
Therefore, I was very worried by all the talk of impending war.

On Sunday, 3rd.September, 1939, I was sitting with my brother, Ross, in our garden at Grassington Road, filling sandbags. My Dad and my brothers had finished installing the Anderson Shelter at the bottom of the garden, and the sandbags were needed to pack around it and to build a "wall" in front of the entrance.

We were having a few laughs as we worked; Mum was preparing vegetables for dinner. Suddenly she called out "There is to be a special announcement on the radio in a minute". We all stopped work, and listened. It was the Prime Minister announcing that we were at war with Germany!

My heart sank. I expected bombs any moment!

However, the afternoon passed peacefully, with lots of talk about how this might affect us.

That night, the Air Raid Siren sounded, and we all rushed down into the shelter. It was a bit of a squash - and it was very cold. There was no air-raid; it was a false alarm -but it was very frightening!

Schools were closed, but after a few days we received a letter telling us that I had to go to a house on Stockhill Circus, where the lady had agreed to allow her front room to be used for educational purposes.

About twelve pupils were there - mainly, I think, the ones who were due to take their East Midlands Educational Union examinations in the near future.

We all sat around a very large dining table, with the teacher, Miss Gutteridge, at the head of the table. We did not like this arrangement, as if anyone whispered to a neighbur, Teacher could reach us with her ruler!

After a couple of weeks of this, the schools re-opened. Air Raid Shelters had been built, so our school life continued as before, except for the Air Raid Drills which took place from time to time, when we all proceeded to the shelters, where we had a sing-song for a few minutes before going back to our classes.

I left school the following July, after taking an entrance esam. to the Gregg Businss College. I started there in the August, to learn Shorthand, Typing, Book-keeping and Office Management. My elder brother, Eric, was called up - he was 14 years older than me - and he went into the Royal Army Medical Corps. My other brother, Ross, who was five years my senior, was waiting impatiently for his call-up papers, as he wanted to be in he RAF.

We stopped using the Anderson Shelter when the Air Raid Sirens sounded, because they were so damp. The Authorities advised bring mattresses downstairs to sleep on, as this was considered safer that sleeping upstairs in case of an air raid.

We had a double mattess in the dining room, and a single one. That was all there was room for, so Mum, Ross and I slept on the double mattress, and Dad on the single one. One night, there was a fall of soot from the chimmney, and it went all over Dad! We thought this was hilarious, but he was not amused!

Dad had to take his turn at Fire watching - sleeping at work in case of an air raid, in order to deall with incendiary bombs.

One night, Dad was away from home on Fire Watch duty, and Ross and I were asleep on the double mattress, when the Air Raid warning sounded. Mum got up, but Ross and I tried to go back to sleep, as we both had to go to work the next day. Mum said she could hear strange noises. When asked what kind of noises, she said she could hear whistling sounds.
Ross said that it was probably the wind the the aeroplanes wings, as they must be flying very low. Both Mum and I accepted this explanation - we must have been a bit thick!

Then Mum looked out of the front room window. She could hear the ack-ack guns being fired. Had she look higher, she would have seen the reflection of flames in the sky!

When Dad came home the next morning, he said Nottingham had been bombed the night before, and that there was an unexploded bomb in Chapel Bar, quite near to where he worked, at Hicklings Win Lodge. I thought he was joking, and he said "You wait until you go to work, there is broken window glass all over the place".

Sure enough, Nottingham had been bombed. It was the night when the Co-op Bakery received a direct hit and a lot of people were killed.

The Lace Market had also been hit, and several factories had been damaged. As the Co-op. Ins. Office was at the top of Victoria Street, we were very near to the Lace Market, and all day we could hear the water being pumped by the Fire Brigade to damp down once the fires were out.

Ross was called up soon after this, and I was left at home. I really missed my brothers. However, I don't think I really realised that they might be in any danger! When we listened to the news, I did not relate it to my brothers. In fact, I think the war seemed very remote to me.

I was busy struggling with my subjects at College, and getting to know new people. I went to night-school, where I was learning dressmaking and ballroom dancing. Some evenings I spent with a friend, Kathleen Ellis, practising ballroom dance steps to music by Victor Sylvestor.

After six months at the Gregg College, I went to work at the Co-operative Insurance Society District Office, on Victoria Street. This was due to my mother, who had asked some months earlier if there were any vacancies, because, as she told me "The young ladies who worked there were so nice".

I had to continue my studies at Gregg College evening classes, as we had paid for the full 12 months tuition. This was great fun, as I met more new people there.

My first day at work, I was told that the young lady who had been directed onto war work, (thus creating the vacancy for me) had left money for cakes with our morning coffee. I had to fetch the cakes from Buoles, in Clumber Street. This was a Danish Pastry shop, and because of the war, there were only a few pasties, and we had to queue for them. I ran down to Clumber Street, without my coat, although it was March, and I duly queued. I was so worried that the people in the office would think I was taking too long on this errand.
I ran back with my box of cakes, and found one of the office clerks just putting on the kettle and the milk for morning coffee. She took me on on side, and said "When you are sent on an errand, put your coat on, take your time - if you need to get anything for yourself while you are out, do so. and don't rush back all in a lather as you are now". Miss Beck was a lovely lady!

At home, we looked forward to letters from Eric and Ross. Eric was eventually going on convoys to places like N. Africa, New york, and Russia, and when he came home on leave he brought with him gifts from wherever he had been. I remember particularly the gifts from New York - ribbon, chocolate, tea, and SILK STOCKINGS! This was wonderful, as we teenage girls were having to colour out legs with walnut juice and anything else we could lay out hands on. Drawing a seam down the back of our legs was a nightmare!

Ross became a Flight Mechanic - using his esperince with engines. He went to West Africa, where he was sericing Sea Planes.

Eric enjoyed being in the Forces, but Ross hated it, and from the minute he joined he wanted to come out again!

On one of his leaves, Eric, who had been a keen cyclist for many years, took me to the Youth Hostel Assoiation Clubroom. I learned later that Mum was concerned that I did not go out much. (I had had a boyfriend for about two years, but that was over. I was now 17, but I stayed in most nights, knitting and listening to the wireless).

Eric aranged to lend the pick-up arm from out Record Player to a friend of his, but Mother said we must have it back the following week. I went with him to the clubroom, and was introduced to everyone, then the following week, Eric having gone back off leave, I had to go alone to the YHA Clubroom to retrieve the pick-up arm. I was nervous, because I did not rally know anyone there, except one friend of Erics who had promised to see me safely home. (Buses stopped running at 9pm, and of course we had the blackout).

I met a group of girls that night, and arranged to go with them on the following night (Friday) to the Palais de Dance.

When we came outof the clubroom, we had to negotiate a very dark, twisting staircase - with no light, because the door at the bottom opened directly onto Parliament Street, and any light would have contravened the blackout regulations). I clung onto my brother's friend as we descended the stairs, in order to keep from falling. When we reached the street, I found that this was not my brother's friend, but a very good-looking young man about my own age. I was very embarrassed, and apologised profusely. He was going in our direction, so we all walked together, and this young man, Walter, actually tooke me to my door. That was the start of a romance, (which lasted only a few months!)

However, I bought a bike and went Youth Hostelling with the girls I had met, and also with Walter's sister, Elsie.
Cycling in those days was wonderful, as there was very little traffic on the roads, due to petrol rationing. The main traffic was buses, and convoys of Army vehicles, transporting men from one place to another. They used to wolf-whistle us as they passed us!

I was 19 when the war ended - by which time I had met another of Elsie's brothers - Arthur - to whom I have now been married for 56 years.

I am sure there are many other incidents which I could relate, but getting them into chronological order is difficult.

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