Audrey was born at 52 John Taylor Street, Daubhill, Bolton. The family later moved to Venture Street. Her father was in the Army and her mother was a ring spinner.
She went to St Mark's School and was just 4 when her father went away to War. As she recalls in her interview, the 5 years that he was away from home seemed a very long time to a little girl. She describes daily life during the War years and remembers many of the people who lived in Venture Street, close to Walmsley's Atlas Forge.
 Full text of Audrey's interview
 pdf version - 65k
 Schooldays... mp3 sound clip - 217k
Saying goodbye... mp3 sound clip - 179k
Schooldays...
The War started and that's when they'd started teaching us in school that when the siren went everyone had to get up quickly and quietly and march to the door, and everybody then filed out and down into the cellars which they'd made into air raid shelters. There were forms along each side of the wall and the children all sat there. We tried to talk or say poems or the teacher would tell us a story just to keep us good and not get upset. There were some children that use to cry, because they was frightened. Most children were frightened, but you just sort of had a laugh and a joke with your friend and that, and there you would sit until it came. Also you had your gas mask, put it on for so long and when there was no threat really of gas you took it off. But you carried it everywhere with you just to be on the safe side.
Saying goodbye...
When my Father went away, we all went down to the station, my Mother, me and my brother - I have a brother, he's called Henry and he's 3 years 26 days older than me - and we went to the station to see him off. Ladies and women, and young women were crying because they were going to say goodbye to someone they loved very much and fathers were holding children because they didn't know whether they was going to come back. And with that, when he'd gone, we have to start a life without him and that... My Mother was Mother and Dad and you had to behave and do good so that she didn't have too many worries, because the War was enough.
|
