Food shortages and treasure in bombed buildings – by MG

Well, food was short then, rationed and three children to feed.  And my Dad at that time was in the Army, he was abroad, so I often think how hard it was for her.  She had to take her turn in firewatching down the road at night, for the incendiary bombs. I can remember sort of going over there, but mostly I remember playing at the end of the road, […]

Being Evacuated in 1944 – Memories by MW

Well, let’s put it this way, we were evacuated in 1944 – I was six then and Janet was three and a half – so when we came back, we came back in ’45, so I suppose sometime after…? We wouldn’t have gone across there in the War, surely.  Oh no, we wouldn’t have done, would we, because it would have finished by then, wouldn’t it. So, after that. I […]

Air Raid Shelters and the Blackout – Memories by GS

Although during the war two or three of those houses down the bottom were bombed, badly blitzed, and my father who used to be in the ARP in the second world war, and I remember him telling me it was terrible that he had to go down there and pull out the dead and all that sort of thing, which is not a very nice experience.  I always remember they […]

Street Party – Memories by KS

I can remember we had a street party – I’m not sure whether that was VE or VJ Day but we had a street party, every street had a party that day with the Mayor visiting.  How they done it food wise I don’t know but they give us kids a lovely time anyway.

Wartime Memories by CL

My father went off, called up, he was older to be called up, he was in the Home Guard for a bit but then he got called up and drove one of those big tank transporters about.  He was driving them in Germany and was mainly there. He wasn’t in the Far East or anything. This sounds stupid now, but after the war had finished and all the roads had […]

My father returing after the war – by SJ

My father settled back into ordinary everyday life to a certain extent.  There were things he wouldn’t do and there were things, like he wouldn’t go to Remembrance Day services and he was very firm about that.  That was something he just didn’t do.  He said I’ll stand in the garden and I’ll remember all my mates who didn’t come back.  Well that was it. Because she became obviously less […]

Prisoner of War – by TH

My late father, he was born in Sheen. He fought in the war, Second World War, he was a Prisoner of War, caught just outside Dunkirk by the Nazis, and was put on a Nazi death march and was, you know, marched to Poland where he remained for the six years as a prisoner of war, survived.

Collecting shrapnel and prisoners of war – by MF

I think my earliest memories are basically towards the end of the War.  I can remember the doodlebugs and that going over and going out collecting shrapnel and things like that.  That’s probably my earliest memories. And I remember, obviously just after the War, when they demolished some of the old barns and things, making way for the area which became all the prefabs, where the prefabs were built.  And […]