Comments:

Pat from Hull: Great. Brought tears to my eyes and a lot of memories. My mam took me away as well.

Mam’s War by Avril Whitehead

Tell us about yourself:
I was born when the war began, and grew up during the years of the bombing and rationing, in a loving family home, although Dad was away in the Army until I was almost five. I was evacuated in 1940 from Hull and returned there in 1946. I am now married with a grown- up family (one son aged forty and a daughter of thirty six). I am a grandmother to two lovely girls.

What’s your story about?
My story tells of a mother’s love in the dark days of the war. How she cared for us in adverse situations and coped with the daily trials of the blitz.

We lived in a derelict one bedroom cottage, without electricity or running water and had a wonderful, happy childhood despite the deprivations life brought our way.

Why did you choose to tell this particular story?
I chose to tell this story as my tribute to a wonderful and loving mother, who kept the 'home fires burning', until my dad came back to us. This is only a very small part of this story, as I have the whole story of 'Mam’s War' in a bound booklet of approximately 50 pages which I wrote for my family, especially my two granddaughters, so they will understand the way of life and how children grew up in wartime.

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