Accrington Web - View Single Post

Terry · 07-12-2004, 06:59

Well I wasn't actually born in Accy. I was born in Manchester in 1939. My mum was from Accy and my dad from blackburn. During the war years( when I was old enough to remember) the air raid sirens used to go off with that terrible wail(a sound I'll never forget) and dad would upend the arm chairs and settee and then put the table top over the lot. That was our shelter just in case. Great fun for me but not for my parents. Later dad told me he never went down the local air raid shelter because whole streets of people used to get wiped out if it copped a direct hit. Dad later told me that the Germans used to drop 3 incediary bombs to light up the area for the rest of em. Aparently, the last one of three had dropped two streets away. We must haved lived near an airfield because I remember 'airy planes' with funny colours, and big funny looking fat balloons all floating high up in the air at the end of a long rope(young perceptions). A big truck like a removal van would come round occasionally and the end would open up and inside was a picture screen so that the locals could watch the latest news on the war. All kinds of good were sold by blokes coming round on horse and carts selling it and people used to rush out and collect the horse dung for their gardens or vegie plots.
Mum must have taken me to Accy lots of times during this period to my grandma's and grandad in Willow lane. I remember on the trip through Manchester to Accy that there were 'hose pipes' all over the place and buildings on fire. I used to see horrifying red glows coming from some places. I had lots of nightmares of these sights as a kid. I used to love visiting grandma in Willows lane. Except for one time when everybody was having dinner. In the middle of the table was a plate of bread and butter?????? and everybody had a boiled egg in an eggcup. My dinner was the two tops sliced off from mums and grandma's eggs. Mum would slice up a piece of bread into fingers and she would give me one that she had dipped into her egg. It was the tastiest food ever.(Ihave loved eggs ever since) But you know kids. I wanted a full egg. So uncle David had finished his and turned it upside down and replaced it in the eggcup without me noticing and put it in front of me. They gave me a spoon and I cracked it open only to discover it was empty. My resultant tantrum was rewarded with a few good hard smacks on my bum.
whilst in Accy at some stage mum had taken me to the pictures in Edgar st. to see Bambi.(I suppose records could confirm that) anyway, apart from the film there was an newsreel that started with a big Cock. During this newsreel it showed a truck on fire and bodies that were also on fire jumping off. I asked my mum who they were and she said Germans. In a totally quiet theatre I said in a loud voice.'Oh poor Germans" The reaction from people around was not very nice and I was quickly shushed by mum as well as copping a smack on the leg.

How can kids understand? Well the war came to an end and we eventually left Manchester and moved to Huncoat for a brief 6 month period and then moved into Accy to live in Derby St.
Whilst there I attended St.Johns school. From then oh boy did my mischevious adventures start.............

07-12-2004, 06:59	#180
Terry Full Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Childers. Queensland Posts: 178 Liked: 0 times Rep Power: 43	Re: i remember when..... Well I wasn't actually born in Accy. I was born in Manchester in 1939. My mum was from Accy and my dad from blackburn. During the war years( when I was old enough to remember) the air raid sirens used to go off with that terrible wail(a sound I'll never forget) and dad would upend the arm chairs and settee and then put the table top over the lot. That was our shelter just in case. Great fun for me but not for my parents. Later dad told me he never went down the local air raid shelter because whole streets of people used to get wiped out if it copped a direct hit. Dad later told me that the Germans used to drop 3 incediary bombs to light up the area for the rest of em. Aparently, the last one of three had dropped two streets away. We must haved lived near an airfield because I remember 'airy planes' with funny colours, and big funny looking fat balloons all floating high up in the air at the end of a long rope(young perceptions). A big truck like a removal van would come round occasionally and the end would open up and inside was a picture screen so that the locals could watch the latest news on the war. All kinds of good were sold by blokes coming round on horse and carts selling it and people used to rush out and collect the horse dung for their gardens or vegie plots. Mum must have taken me to Accy lots of times during this period to my grandma's and grandad in Willow lane. I remember on the trip through Manchester to Accy that there were 'hose pipes' all over the place and buildings on fire. I used to see horrifying red glows coming from some places. I had lots of nightmares of these sights as a kid. I used to love visiting grandma in Willows lane. Except for one time when everybody was having dinner. In the middle of the table was a plate of bread and butter?????? and everybody had a boiled egg in an eggcup. My dinner was the two tops sliced off from mums and grandma's eggs. Mum would slice up a piece of bread into fingers and she would give me one that she had dipped into her egg. It was the tastiest food ever.(Ihave loved eggs ever since) But you know kids. I wanted a full egg. So uncle David had finished his and turned it upside down and replaced it in the eggcup without me noticing and put it in front of me. They gave me a spoon and I cracked it open only to discover it was empty. My resultant tantrum was rewarded with a few good hard smacks on my bum. whilst in Accy at some stage mum had taken me to the pictures in Edgar st. to see Bambi.(I suppose records could confirm that) anyway, apart from the film there was an newsreel that started with a big Cock. During this newsreel it showed a truck on fire and bodies that were also on fire jumping off. I asked my mum who they were and she said Germans. In a totally quiet theatre I said in a loud voice.'Oh poor Germans" The reaction from people around was not very nice and I was quickly shushed by mum as well as copping a smack on the leg. How can kids understand? Well the war came to an end and we eventually left Manchester and moved to Huncoat for a brief 6 month period and then moved into Accy to live in Derby St. Whilst there I attended St.Johns school. From then oh boy did my mischevious adventures start.............