On my first day at Wimborne, it occurs to me now, my Mother dropped me at the Evans Road entrance. Maybe 'dropped' is too strong a word. Levered or pushed me in!! Bloomin` eck! All those railings and the huge gate ( does it still squeak ?). It reminded me of a prison.

All the new children were introduced to the Headmistress (Miss Apps?), then to our class teacher Miss Bird, who lived somewhere up near Portsdown Hill. She was a lovely lady, shaped very much like a christmas pudding or so we thought at the time! And amazingly always laughing and happy. Are your teachers like that?

The Infants School was a long narrow building on the western side of the main school. It was split into two sections, one for the boys, the other for girls (none of this sitting next to your favourite Sheila in those days!) What do you think of that idea?

On arriving at school, after a rather violent air raid during the night, we found the school had received several direct hits and was still smoking!! We were sent home until other arrangements could be made for us. Another minus for old Hitler from my Mum, she was liv...id!!!

The corridor in the school at that time had thick brick walls from floor to ceiling placed halfway across the walkway (stop that running!!). Has that changed? There were about six of them alternating one side then the other. Apparently they were to stop bomb blast. Didn`t do the Infants school much good did they eh ? New kids at school used to bump into them and end up with a great big lump on their heads. We used to call them blast wall mumps. Why? it escapes me..

I`d walk (most times run,`cos I was always late) to school via Priory Crescent and Winter Road. Used to stop at a sweet shop (Hardings) in Winter road and buy a farthing's worth (1/960 of a pound. Ed.) of aniseed balls or my favourites, Gobstoppers. They used to change colours as you sucked them!! On hot days the brown paper bag they came in got very very sticky in your pocket, and used to attract other things there like the lump of string for conkers, a dried out newt, an apple core, glass marbles,and the half dead frog I got to show teacher. All excellent things to trade at school (no child should be without them). You know, I once swapped a broken ruler for a half sucked Gobstopper. And...I got three more colours out of it!!! Mmmmmm !!

We had a competition for who could bring the biggest piece of shrapnel to school. Funnily enough, they banned that after Keith Sinnett brought a live bomb to school one day. Can`t imagine why can you??

At home my Mother, as most other ladies, was an active participating member of the Red Cross. Doesn`t happen now does it? We would come home from school to the smell of the washing boiler steaming, full to the top with used bandages. And Mum at the sink scrubbing them on the old scrubbing board, a corrugated tin thing with a wooden surround. No washing machines then! They were duly rinsed, dried, and ironed with a flat iron heated on the gas stove. My job was to turn the handle of the rewinding machine, then pack them in a box to be collected.

All my elder brothers were serving in the army, my sisters in the VAD and Red Cross nursing.

The people of Portsmouth were very generous with time and money (anything to beat the Nazi!). My mother made me a miniature army uniform. I was so proud to wear it. She and I used to call on houses to collect money for prisoner of war food parcels for imprisoned British soldiers in Germany.

Imagine my delight whilst collecting at the Frogmore Road entrance to Fratton Park. When who should appear but Field Marshal Montgomery(Chairman of the Pompey Football club at that time). I tried out my well practiced salute and pushed the tin towards him...He laughed, saluted me back and took me by the hand upstairs to the Clubroom in the stand, chuckling all the while. Blimey I can`t look that funny! Then he bought me the biggest lemonade I`d ever seen! He folded carefully a white five pound note and put it into my tin. Oh rats I thought!! That won`t make my tin heavy!! Why would that be then??

At that time we had a lovely old dog called "Chip" He just hated the air raids. He used to shiver and shake and cuddle up to me and put his head under my armpit so I could hold both his ears tightly shut.

My Mother was a good Catholic. In the shelter she used to walk up and down during a raid and sprinkle us with holy water from a very ornate bottle. Mind you, being rather nervous she tended to over do it. Many a time we came out soaked to the skin. Must have done something `cos at least we came out safe and sound!!