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Interview with Alice Short nee Lunn

Born 1913. Alice was 26 when war broke out, living in Neweth Road, Walkden.

Do you remember the day war broke out?
I’d gone to, my husband and I, I was married then, we’d gone to New Brighton on the Friday night before war broke out on the Sunday and all the little children were on the station with their masks and the labels on and there was a thunderstorm. It was really dramatic and my husband wanted to come home because he was so upset with the children, with all the masks and little labels on them. Then on the Sunday morning we were in the digs and the lady’s sons worked at Camel Laird and as we listened to this she said ‘oh my poor sons, they will all have to go to war’. They worked for Camel Laird. Then after that there was 1940 and all the things that happened then, the raids in Manchester.

Do you remember the raids?
They came nearer home, I don’t remember what year it was. The bombers came over and dropped in the fields down Neweth Road, bombs. They blew all my mother’s windows out. We had an Ack Ack gun up the side of the house, it sounded like you were being blown to pieces when the raids were on.

Where would you shelter when there was a raid?
There was an air raid shelter under the shop across the road and we sheltered there, in the cellars. There was quite a few that had no shelters of their own so we sheltered in the cellars under this shop. That was in Walkden Road. It was eerie, waiting for the bombs to finish. We had these notices, what would happen if they did gas things, all the signals that they’d do and that. If there was a gas alarm, you’d have to put things to block your doors up and there was blackouts. They used to knock on your door if you showed a glint of light. So, it was quite scary.

Do you remember any raids very close to you?
There was this raid where they dropped the bombs in Neweth Road. Luckily they dropped in fields at the back of the houses but they blew my mother’s windows out. Although it was across the road, with the bomb blast, it travels. Luckily no one was injured. The raids were quite horrific at one time.

What was your husband doing during the war?
My husband wasn’t fit for war work so he just worked his ordinary profession, he was a painter and decorator, yeah. I was raising a family, I had four children. I had one born in 1940, the first one was in 1936. I was really worried having children during the war. The last one, 1943 I had one, and then 1947 when the war was over then.

Did you get everything that you needed for the baby during the war?
We had that cod liver oil in orange juice which we was very grateful of, I’ll tell you, because I put it down their throats. They all had it to keep healthy.

Did you manage with the rations?
Yes and I was thin as a rake. I was 6 stone something because I couldn’t eat that margarine. I had more or less dry bread because I couldn’t stomach it. I was very light weight in the war, yes I was. I saw some photos in Walkden library of when the wartime was on and nearly everybody were like that. In the 40’s we were thin as rakes. We managed but, it must have been good for us. I worked in a confectioners shop and we made meat pies and the beef tea gravy, the woman used to give it to me and I used to slice potatoes and vegetables in that for the children, so they had something nourishing. We ate all bits and pieces like, and then if you could get anything to make soup with, and any fruit. The first fruit that my daughter saw, a banana, she bit the banana, she didn’t know what it was. It’s funny really when you think back.

Was there any time you were really worried about what was happening?
We’d just grit your teeth and have to get on with it. It was quite sparse really and the children hardly ever had any sweets or anything like that and then that sweet rationing came in. And then tea, butter, well not butter really, it was that marg stuff, it was horrible that. I tell you what was nice, the American meat in the tins and it had white fat on top and you could bake with that, you could make pastry with it, and the meat was lovely. Very, very nice, that. And there was spam, lots of things.

What about clothes?
With having a family and no money I was alright for clothes, and I could sew. I did a bit of sewing and knitting for the children.

Did you do anything to help in the war effort?
I was fully occupied with the children.

Did you know anyone who got killed?
I didn’t know anyone who got killed. I had a friend across the road and her husband came back.

Did you follow the progress of the war?
We had the radio that kept us informed, and that Lord Haw Haw and Churchill’s broadcasts were marvellous. I’m sure he kept us all going, he held us all up.

Do you remember the D Day landings?
I remember the celebrations, 6th June and then I had one of the children on the 7th June.

Did you used to do anything for entertainment? Did you go out anywhere?
Not really, no. We went to the chapel with the children and they did bits of things to entertain the children and that.

Do you remember the day war ended?
You couldn’t believe it. And I remember saying ‘I wonder what it will be like now?’ and it wasn’t all that good after. I can’t remember the day now.

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