Article by Claire Small

Sadie

How did you feel when you heard the sirens?

Well I dreaded it when the sirens went off. I really did used to get worked up. One time I can remember I was just learning to bake, my mother had always wanted me to learn. This time she had a septic hand so I said “I’ll make the apple cake”. And the siren went off while I was doing it. I was so worked up while I was making the pastry but it turned out to be the nicest Apple Cake I ever made. It was beautiful because I was so nervous and excited.

What did you and your family do during the bomb raids?

There were times when the Blitz was really heavy, whenever they bombed the Shipyard. We could see it in Newtownards with the lights up in the sky. We just stayed in my mother didn’t want to leave the house because my grandmother was very old. It was very frightening.

Do you remember a night when the bombing was very heavy?

There was an airfield in Newtownards at Scrabbo Tower. The planes used to come over during the day and you knew that they were German planes because they were taking photos of the airfield. When they did come back on the raids they dropped a flare and that just lit up the whole area. One night there was a really bad raid and a lot of air force men were killed.

Do you remember the Food rationing?

You got a ration book for your food and a ration book for your clothes. You were allowed two ounces of butter per person a week. You didn’t get very much sugar because you always ran out of it before the end of the month. There were points for things like syrup and jam but if you used those points you had to do without until the next month. When something like syrup came into the shops we all ran to get it.

I dare say the food we got was adequate – you just made do. If you lived in the country you got fresh eggs. We got powdered eggs but you got quite used to it. The bread wasn’t as good as you would get now. They called it black bread , it was darker because there was nothing to whiten the flour. When the war was over, and the first white bread came in, we all ran to the shops to get a white loaf. We thought it was brilliant and you look at the bread we throw out nowadays!

What other things were rationed?

Cups and things like that. It finished up that you were using jam jars to drink out of. Well you know with kids that things get broken easily and they were very, very hard to get. If a shop got in new cups the word went all round and everybody ran down and queued to get them.

What about clothes rationing?

You had to give in so many clothing coupons and they were marked out in months so you couldn’t go over that month .If you wanted something and it was an extra coupon if a shop took the coupons you would have got fined. There were people who were took to court and fined. I can remember times when that happened.

Peggy

Do you remember the American soldiers?

I remember going to the pictures with one of them. My chum and I met two Yanks and went to the Imperial Cinema in the city centre. We met them in the town just walking about. But to tell you the truth I was only out with them once because my father got wind of it and I wasn’t allowed into the town again. But we got nylons from them. They were very nice chaps, they really were.

What happened when the sirens went off?

Many a time, when the sirens went, we used to make for the Castlereagh Hills. Men got Lorries out and took the people up away from the town because we all lived so near the docks.
It was exciting at the time because you were getting onto the lorry and you had your bed clothes and your pillow with you to lie down. Then you would get to the big hall with everyone. You were also frightened if you were going to be killed with the bombs. They were some hard times.

Were you evacuated at any time during the War?

My mother had us all ready with our gas masks and all our clothes. She wanted to send us out to family and to school. But when the time came for us to go we all started crying and wouldn’t go. There were three of us then. They wanted all the young ones to go to the country.

Did you carry gasmasks?

Yes your gasmask went everywhere with you. And you’d been fined if you didn’t carry it with you. You would have thought you were going to smothered went you put them on.

What Happened on VE day?

I will always remember that there was a Christian fella who sang Jerusalem. They lit a big bonfire and he was singing in front of it. On the corner, where the fire was, there was also a house belonging to a Mrs Spence. She got word to say that her husband was killed. They thought he was missing but he was killed. Arthur was killed. I’ll never forget that VE Day.

But there were parties all over on VE Day. It was marvellous and there was a big parade and all the men and women were out walking and cheering. It was victory day – the war was finished with.

Mamie

Maggie’s Teeth ?

The sirens were going this one night. This women and her family heard the sirens and ran in for the neighbour next door and they said to her, “come on Maggie we have to go now for there’s the sirens.” And she said, “I’m going nowhere ‘cause I can’t find my teeth”. The neighbour said to her, “you are going, come on without your teeth, Hitler’s dropping bombs not blooming sandwiches!”

Do you remember VE Day?

I remember them saying the war’s over and everyone ran down to the big clock. I had to go over to the shop for something and they were all celebrating. This man gave me a glass of whiskey. I had never taken whiskey in my life. God was I drunk!

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