Born in wartime

I was born on the 11th June 1940 - just after D Day which was on the 6th of June.
My earliest childhood memories were of the ‘sirens’. I was terrified when the ‘all clear’ went of and clapped my hands over my ears — I hated the sound.

Then when I was about six years old one Christmas Eve when Santa had called I received a copy of the ABC Children’s Annual featuring films shown at the Saturday morning ‘6d’ pictures We went to the cinema in Ashton (the Odeon) latterly Metro on Old St, where we had to queue to get in (two and a half pence in today’s money.
I also found in my sack a pair of brown leather gloves with astrakhan backs, whereupon I put them on to keep freezing hands warm whilst reading my book.
One Christmas came a copy of “Little Women” with beautiful coloured plates — I still have this book today. I would not part with it.
Another Christmas I received a white pigskin manicure set which was another prized present.
I remember taking parcels of newspaper to school to help the ‘salvage effort’ which happens today with our recycling paper bins….what goes around comes around.

School dinners were awful — an awful fish pie which made me feel ill, but we had to eat every morsel with the teacher standing by. My parents both worked so I was made to stay for dinners.
I remember queuing for bread when I was 10 or 11 (1950 —51) as it was still rationed. How did we manage to keep well fed with such meagre helpings?
I remember the air raid shelter at the bottom of our street. It was horrible and remained threr for years after the war — a dark smelly place where we played hide and seek amongst the broken brickwork of the inside.
Luckily our family didn’t use it. We stayed under the stairs in the ‘coal hole’ or underneath the kitchen table.
I loved the wireless — ‘Happydrome’, ‘ITMA’,and Vera Lynn and later ‘The Goon Show’ Dad and I loved that, though mum could not appreciate the comedy of ‘Eccles’, Neddy’ ‘Seagoon’ and ‘Major Bloodnock’.
Cold winter nights when your bedroom window froze over on the inside, breath on the glass to make a peephole. 1947’s bitter winter, with snow-drifts 6 feet high, “Fair Isle” berets knitted by mother — lisle stockings, liberty bodices and navy blue school knickers with a pocket for your hanky. “Thermogene” vests and “Wintergreen” ointment, camphorated oil warmed by the fire then spread over your chest and rubbed in — lovely and comforting.
A brick placed in the oven wrapped in a blanket and placed in your bed to warm you at night.
These are memories never forgotten --- times were hard, but the street comuniities were very close, we helped one another as we were all in the same boat.
People cared.

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