On this day 79 years ago.
September 3rd 1939 was a lovely sunny Sunday morning and to me there seemed to be a hush over everything.
At 11am it came over the relay wireless that Mr Chamberlain had said we were now in a state of war with Germany.
I can still hear my mothers anguished voice saying " Oh sweet mother of mercy! My boys, my boys."
The hush from outside suddenly became a cacophony of voices. All the neighbours gathered on their doorsteps
talking about what would happen if old Hitler got to England.
I felt terrified in case I was sent back to the Sisters of Mercy home.
I was relieved when my mother said that Hitler or no bleeding Hitler she was still going hop-picking the next day and
taking her kids with her.
The A to Z of the Second World War
A is for the air raid warning telling everyone to scatter
B was for the blackout, showing light was a serious matter.
C stood for the courage of everyone who was involved
D was for the devastation this bloody war evolved.
E was the evacuee whose home the bombs did raze
F is for the firemen, their bravery beyond all praise.
G was for gasmasks we carried no matter where we trod
H stood for Hitler--a sadist-- who thought he was God
I was for the identity card to prove you were no spy
J was for the millions of Jews condemned by Hitler to die.
K was for the knitting to keep our fighting lads warm
L for the Land Army girls who worked so hard on the farm.
M is the music of Glen Miller and the songs of Vera Lynn
N stood for news of the war front and our next of kin.
O stood for the ocean where our ships were at the ready
P was for our pilots whose aim was straight and steady.
Q was for the queues that could reach a mile long
R for the ration book so that nothing could go wrong.
S was for the ‘Spitfire’ the winged hell cat of the skies
T is the troopship whose journey we could only surmise.
U was for the enemy U-boat intent upon its ploy
V was for our Victory bringing jubilation and joy.
W stands for the war, which I have come out of alive
X stood for the Xmas of nineteen forty five.
Y is for the years of constant struggle and pain
But Z is for the zest to start living once again.
copyright---Maisie Walker 2001--- all copyrights reserved.