Birmingham and West Midlands

My War Years

Mother and my sister slepy over night at the factory managers house; dad and I slept on the floor of his...

Lilly’s Story (Part 2): Finding an International Family in Shropshire

Lilly takes up the story again: Leaving London for Wales I was relatively young and careless but my poor...

A Child's Eye View of the Birmingham Blitz: Part 3

A mile away, on the Birmingham Road out of Stratford, Dad was helping to establish Alvis's repair shop...

Spitfire and Other War Work Behind the scenes.

In early 1939, I had the opportunity to work on the production of ‘Spitfire’ main-plane at...

Building Spitfires at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham

Another time when there was bombing during the day, my mother sent my brother Jack to the factory to see if...

Drumming In Peace and War

However, in 1935 we aquired a radio and just lying on the settee gave me the opportunity to listen to those...

The Day War Broke Out: A Schoolgirl in Birmingham

I moved into another world of a semi-detached home with a lovely red brick fireplace with gleaming brasses,...

From Brum to the Land Army

All right, they had 15 hours bombing, Coventry, we had between ten and fifteen hours every night for two...

A Child's Eye View of the Birmingham Blitz: Parts 1 and 2

Well, Michael hates explosions but likes animals, so he can go and stay at Uncle Harry Claridge's farm...

Recollections 1931-1947

One, Herr Deutschkron, was I believe the headmaster of a school in Germany and was a very good language...

My Early Memories dictated by Graham Johnson

My mum used to give the milkman's horse a carrot or two off dad's allotment. My aunt was working in...

Memories from Members of Stanford Bridge Day Centre, Worcestershire

My friend John Coneili who is now buried in Rushford, Tenbury was awarded the VC in Italy. AUDREY JENKINS...

Fire Orders Chapter 2c

I closed the window, and it was then that Les had his: bright idea. Les thrust his head further out of the...

June Evans' Story

Soon we were to hear the anti-aircraft gun, based in Swanshurst Park, fire across our house too, apparently...

Growing up in wartime Birminham

The ringers had heard the news from the vicarage; so with Ringing Captain, Billy Cartwright, Dad had...

Joyce’s journey — From London to Wolverhampton

We children didn't quite know what it meant but Mum always said “No!...

Staying Together: Family Life in Wartime Dudley

When Dr Doyle came and looked after Mum, Nan said, ‘what do I owe you? Mum or Nan would cook it with...

World War Two

In the Second World War it was usual, during air raids, to take cover in the coal cellar of the large...

My Longing For Portsmouth

Then one evening in June we had just returned from work,and the sirens sounded, and my father, my sister...

Jean’s War in Bournville

Air-raids - the terrifying sound of the air-raid sirens - this still sends shivers down my spine when I...

A Few Yards of Silk

Hundreds of people were trudging along like refugees, across the park to the other side, where a school had...

Bevan Boys - Down the Mines

Emergency meetings were called in the House and Ernest Bevin then Minister of Labour put a proposal that a...

A Child's War: In Birmingham

When we returned home after the "all clear", although the glass was intact, Mum found that the...

Birmingham Blitz

During the height of the bombing of Birmingham we spent all of our nights and even some parts of our days...

Memoirs of a Wartime Teenager

Here at home things were in the capable direction of Squadron Leader W D,Lea Rayner,as both Neilson Hutton...

Joan Quibell's Diary - Part One - War Declared

Towards the end of my time at College, Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia and a lot of talk about war was being...