The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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248779 Alan Stephen Tatham from:26 Chipstead Lane, Kingswood, Surrey I was born one year before the start of WW2 so my memories start in the middle of the war. The extensive family originally lived in Stratford, London and one of my uncles foresaw that if war was declared then the London docks would be a prime target, so as he was reasonably wealthy he bought a house in Surrey where all the wives and children could live in relative safety while the men went to war. Therefore, I grew up with four mothers and two grandmothers and three male cousins all in the same house, it was not easy but we were much more lucky than most. So, we come to my own memories. The mothers had an unusual wartime occupation as we were so far out in the countryside, and that was making cigarettes. Once a month a huge chest of tobacco was delivered along with paper already in tubes and gadgets to put the tobacco into them. We all became quite heavy smokers as that was a perk that was allowed and every evening the ladies sat in the lounge making possibly a quota of 10,000 a month. Other memories are coming back such as the one of us boys playing in the garden and a German plane roaring up our valley being chased by a Spitfire. So, there we were staring at them with bullets hitting the ground all around and then hearing an aunt screaming at us to get down. I learnt my very first swear words from my aunt that day. The Doodlebugs were a daily occurrence and we soon learnt to run to the shelter when one cut out above us which they often did as we were only twenty miles from the south of London. There are many other small memories but the one that I can hear even to day in my mind, although I am approaching my 80th year, is the thousand bomber raids. We used to watch the bombers gather above us, layer upon layer until there were so many the ground used to shake and vibrate with the noise and suddenly at a given signal the lowest layer would peel off to the Southwest until there was silence and we boys were put to bed under the Morrison table. I have many other memories but will finish by saying that we were a lucky family because all the four menfolk survived and came back home my father being the last as he was on an Aircraft Carrier out in the Pacific fighting the Japanese. Alan Tatham Related Content: The Blitz Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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