Teesside

The Dance Hall, Wartime Escape

Every town and village had a hall where dancing could take place. We had some large dance bands in some of...

Christmas, Worlds Apart

My sister and I woke up on Christmas day to find our stockings on the end of the bed. The women drank...

It's Over: VE Day in Stockton-On-Tees

The Saturday dances in Stockton Middlesbrough and Darlington could become quite riotous at times with us...

The Sky Was Black With Planes

The whole of North Yorkshire and South Durham had become one large Airforce base, with Aerodromes at...

School memories

All food was rationed and in short supply. the butter ration was 4 ounces a week. the sweet ration was 2 to...

My Mother, the War Worker

She went to Goosepool Aerodrome where the Canadian Airforce was stationed for most of the war, flying heavy...

My Father the Fire Watcher

Dad was a Fire Watcher, when the Sirens went and we headed for the air raid shelter he had built in the...

Flaming Barrage Balloons, Teeside

Thunder clouds This sunny afternoon, with us Norton Green boys fighting another needle match with the boys...

A 14-year-old Telegraph Boy in 1944

At the time of D-Day I was a 14-year-old telegraph boy, and my job was to deliver priority telegrams. I...

Letter from Mrs Margaret Best August 1941

However dad saw Mrs Ord on her step and went to talk to her and I stayed on our back yard step....

My War Years: From the Scouts to the Royal Navy

Within a few days I left HMS Ness returned to my home base Portsmouth and immediately given a draft chit...

My Memories of the Second World War.

My Father was Mr Percy Jones, who's parents lived at Moorgate Leas Farm, Hawsker near Whitby, and my...

A Rural Child Touched by War: Part One (1939 - 1942)

They were not local people, my grandfather had been blinded in the First World War and they had eventually...

Reluctant Private Evacuee.

Aunty Rose as we came to call her was a really lovely lady, she had not been married long and her husband...

More Wartime Schooling

There was always some lady who would get me up as I was tall for my age and I knew every dance...

More Active Army Cadet's

Regular Army officers NCO's and PT Instructors arrived from Brancepeth the DLI depot and set to work on...

Starting Work in Wartime -Chapter Two

Dick Brown was in charge of the wire works Arthur Brown in charge of the Sheet Iron and Ernie was the...

Active Army Cadets

At 13 I lied about my age and joined the Army Cadet's, you were supposed to be thirteen and a half......

“Reflections on Life”

August 1918, at 22, Norcliffe Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, the son of Mary Shackleton, and Thomas...

Early Days

Then we all bathed kids first Mum Dad then the dogs, Dad then bailed it out before hanging it back on the...

The Beginning.

I had to feed the animals with Mum when Dad could not get home and that meant washing bags of potato's...

Letter from Mrs Margaret Best August 1941 (part 2)

I thought if you got a train that goes straight through and stops at Harrogate you could bring Ada as far...

Starting Work in Wartime -Chapter Three

One lad who did not say very much shocked the bookie by saying Half a Crown on Frank, the bookie nearly wet...

Growing Up during the War

I carried a lamp, we all sang songs till the all clear went, if the siren went on a night we would...

Starting Work in Wartime

Her next idea was to get all the papers for the Sunderland Sea training College to train as a sea going...

My Mother the War Worker

One morning as they slowed for the Halt a returning Bomber badly shot up over Germany was trying to make...