Very Young Memories of the War from North Hull

Story told to Christine Barker at the VE Day Celebrations in Beverley 2005

The bombs came over when my mum was seven months pregnant with me. She had a haemorrhage and I was born. They all thought I wouldn’t see the night, but I did and I’m still here now!

I remember washday during the war and covering the table with newspapers when mum washed the only tablecloth she had. That sticks out in my mind really clearly.

My eldest sister was evacuated but I wasn’t quite old enough so she went to wherever she went to and I stayed with my mum and my little brother. We were sent away too, somewhere near Leeds I think and very near a railway station, so I don’t think that’d be very safe for us really even though we were told it was.

We were back in Hull on the real VE Day I remember the neighbours, they were all sat eating their sandwiches and cakes but my sister, brother and I watched through the gates but we didn’t have any, we really wanted some. I think later in the day a girl gave us a bun. The weather was better than 60 years on though- it was really warm that day, not raining like today!

I do remember when the war finished and I was still only 4.
During the war when we went in the shelters in the garden the lights used to sway if the planes went across. This particular day my mum held my hand on the doorstep on our North Hull estate and she said “lets thank God Mary the war’s over” and I said “what’s a war mum?” she replied “I don’t think you’ll ever see one again” and that’s all I remember.

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