Dave Allan One : 11

#11 ....................... A Publication Of SchoolNet Global

In This Issue

Have you seen any of the reality television series "The 1940s House"? In a London suburb, a 21st century English family attempts to step back in time to experience what it was like to live there during World War II. Even going so far as to building their own Anderson Shelter in the back garden.

Well, SchoolNetGlobal children in the United Kingdom have done something far more significant by actually recording the experiences of family, friends and community members who actually lived through this period of history.

This is truly the building of a living history. This issue is dedicated to the men and women who so generously share their life experiences with young SchoolNet Global researchers.

Click on the image above to be treated to a special interactive World War II environment complete with authentic sounds and the remembered actual experiences of those effected by Air Raids; Evacuation: and Rationing

Ambulance (Furniture Van) Lady Driver by Nicky (11) and Amos (10)

Our interview has been done posthumously as the interviewee died more than 15 years ago, but the information was supplied by my father to whom this lady had spent many hours talking about her life. Her name was Miss Nan Duncan and she lived in Dundee. After the war she was the Assistant Matron of the Dundee Hostel for the Deaf, and a close friend of my father's family.

1) WERE YOU IN ANY SPECIAL FORCES?
I was in London when the war broke out, I could drive so I volunteered as a civilian driver. I was given furniture van to drive as an ambulance!

2) WHAT RANK WERE YOU?
As a civilian I did not have a rank, I was a driver second class which meant I could drive vans up to a certain weight.

3) WHAT WAS YOUR UNIFORM LIKE?
I had a uniform of khaki, like a boiler suit, with a hat and an arm band with a red cross on it.

4) DID YOU EVER GET BOMBED?
Well, I was driving round London in the Blitz and bombs were falling all the time, but we were usually called in after the bombing raids to take away the injured, often bombs fell near where we were working, but I was never actually bombed. More

Early Memories Of Mrs M. Granger

Mrs Granger was born on the 3rd of June, 1921, in London. This makes her 78 years of age. She was still living in London when World War 2 was declared, on September 3rd, 1939.

She had a sister 5 years older than her, and a sister 5 years younger than her. She got on well with her sister's, but they got on better with each other, than with her. Her older sister died when Margaret was eleven years old. Apart from this, she had a very happy childhood. For birthdays and Christmas's, there were no big presents, but there was small presents and fresh fruit. She spent her summer holidays in Reading, with her aunt.

Margaret attended a convent school, which was run by nuns who could be quite strict at times. If they were naughty, they were pulled out of the classroom and into a separate room by the ear, and were then caned on the back of their knees with a ruler. She was a school monitor, which meant that she had to place the milk in front of the fire, so it was warm when people came to drink it. More

Grandad's War Stories

John Davidson

This is a piece of writing about my grandpa. He is called John Falconer Davidson. He is 78 years old right now, and fought for all of World War 2 as a Gordon Highlander in Regiment 51st division. The thing that my grandpa remembers most in the war was when he went to France and got captured after 7 months in Saint Vallery. They were captured there for 5 years. In the war they were defending Dunkirk before getting captured in Saint Vallery. They had to walk through France, Belgium and then Holland and then went on to a coal barge on the River Rhine. He then went on a train for three days where it took them to a Stalag 8 in Germany. More

Our School in the Blitz

Evacuees from London

Life was very difficult for the children of the Erme, in the days of World War 2. During the Blitz children living in the city, were evacuated to the countryside and many came to Ivybridge. At that time Ivybridge was just a small village with only one school-ours!

The village children went to school in the morning and the evacuees went in the afternoon. As soon as it got dark the school was very busy and cramped due to people from Plymouth escaping the German bombers. Up to a thousand people at a time were catered for in our tiny school.

The evacuated children came to Ivybridge to escape the bombing blitz

Wartime Horrors by Christopher Fox (15)

Rose, enjoying more peaceful times

I was born in Scotland Road, Liverpool. Scotland Road is not that far away from where I live now, it was a very dangerous during the war due to the bombings.

It was absolutely terrible for me and my family, mainly because of the air raids. They were so frightening because as soon as the siren went off everyone knew they had to get to a shelter quickly. My brother was an air raid warden and he had to see some horrific things, he once went round houses which had been bombed and he found our grandmother buried in the rubble which used to be her house.

There were many people killed and also many from my family. My brother, the air raid warden, went to the local parish during the air raid to warn those at a meeting that was going on inside. He left the shelter that we were in to go and warn those at the meeting of the air raid. I never saw him again. More

Interview of William Snell by Bianca Ilatts

When the second World War started, I was delivering coal with a horse and cart. The cost of the coal for a hundred weight was 3s 4d and 3s 6d (about 17/18p). I used to deliver 2 lots of coal a day so the pay per week worked out much more than what I used to earn on the farm.

During this time, working with the horses was something that I really enjoyed. I grew to love these animals and I made sure that I took great care of them.

One day a doodle bug fell only a couple of hundred yards away from us, the horse bolted with me still holding onto the reins, I was being dragged down the road which resulted in my arms being broken. I still had hold of the bridle trying to control the horse it took me months to recover after this terrible accident.

Then after delivering another coal load, I saw houses being demolished with groups of people standing around crying because their loved ones were buried under all the rubble. I felt heart broken at this terrible tragedy. I felt that it was my duty to help, so when the houses in Snodland were bombed, I used to grab a piece of heavy metal and would use this to dig people out from the bombed houses. I saved a family of three who were trapped under a pile of wood, they were quite badly injured, but that day I felt that I wanted to help fight for our country. More