Hindles War

I was ten years old and on Sunday 3 September 1939. We were in Sunday School where it was announced that a war had been declared between England and Germany. We were sent home and I began to cry because I thought that my father would be taken from us to fight. However, dad was in a reserved occupation so did not have to go. Food and money were very tight even though both my mother and father worked a full week and dad and my Uncle ran an allotment growing food and a few flowers to suppliment his small income and help the war effort.

We had a few air raids around us because there were a number of factories producing war supplies and the odd bomb fell on our little town. One air raid occured whilst my sister Kathleen was performing on stage at the local Town Hall with her dancing school "The Ida Riding School of Dance". She was doing a tap dance to the tune of Blaze Away. After the show father took us up the road to see the damage that had been done.During the blitz on our majour towns we could see the reflection in the sky from the fires in Manchester

From the age of thirteen to the time I started work at fourteen my father took me to work with him at school holiday times. At this period he worked as second man on a lorry and then as a driver. That was the time I saw all the majour town of Lancashire, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston; I also saw the devastation wrought by the blitz, so no one better denounce the bombing of Dresden to me, I saw it first in my own country, we were then getting a bit of our own back. I would also say, think of Coventry and London if anyone mentions Dresden. We didnt start it, but by eck we finished it. We also went into Yorkshire on a number of occasions to collect beer from Sam Smiths brewery in Tadcaster then the following day distribute it around Accrington and Blackburn. There were a few odd bottles left on top of the crates for the driver and his mate to take home. This was my introduction to drink being allowed a small sip of my fathers bottle.

June 6th 1944, I was almost fifteen years old. I started work at fourteen working from 8-30 until 5pm at 15 I would have to start at 8am. On this day I was listening to the 8 am news before cycling to work and it was announced that our forces had landed in France, WOW. I juped on my bike and cycled to work hell for leather to break the news, trouble was, no one believed me and I almost got a wolloping for telling lies. At 9 am the ladies went to the canteen for a break and came back crying it was only then that I was believed, our forcs had landed in France.

A year later I was fifteen so a namesake of mine Alan Hindle (with whom I was very friendly) but no relation, decided we would go to sign on. Mother didnt think much of it but didnt stop me, so off we went to Preston to the recruiting depot. We were greeted by a huge Marine who must have been six foot six inches tall, "what do you lads want" he said "to sign on for the navy sir" we said. He then asked us what jobs we had and we were both apprentices in the Engineering industry and working for Lang Bridge ltd. Accrington. So this huge marine told us to go haome as we were in reserved occupations. Having failed in our attempt to get into the war we decided to go to the cinema, we watched THE BELLS OF ST. MARYS. Preston is a big town and I had only been there a few times with my father on his lorry so it was an experience to wander around.

Towards the end of the war in Europe we had the threat of the DOODLEBUG; two of those terrible weapons managed to reach our little town but fell harmlessly on the moors, but we had a taste of what it must have been like in London.

Then came D-Day and the end of the war in Europe. it was a day of rejoycing and at that time our rejoycing was a night at the local Dance hall. There were two main halls in Accrington, The Conservative Club, The Ritz ballroom, I suppose the average age at the Con club must have been about twenty two, so we made our usual venue, (that is the fraternity from Jimmy Middlehursts Dancing School)The Ritz where the average age was perhaps nineteen, anyway the evening was fantastic.

After that it was back to the grind again because we had things to finish off in the East. Later came the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which brought Japan to its knees and saved untold thousands of lives in the Allies forces. Japan was a cruel and bloodthirsty nation, as we later found out about the attrocities they committed with their captives. V.J. night was celebrated in much the same fashion as V.E. Night, dancing the night away.

I was somewhat disgusted some five years later when I was dragged into the R.A.F. for National Sevice. They didnt want me when I tried to enlist with a war on and now it was all over I was forced into service for two years, at a measly pay of four shillings a day. Also they stationed me in Kent far from my home county of Lancashire and I couldnt get home at weekends, as about 95% of the other inmates could. We couldnt afford much either and many is the night we walked home from Maidstone to West Malling as we had spent our last coppers on a final half of beer.

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