Peace and war

Dark is the Dawn

In order to appreciate the catastrophic effect World War

2 had upon typical families like this, we need to

experience the feeling of the tranquil life of the pre-war

years. Here the author sets it out in detail, leading up to

the declaration of the war in 1939, when everything

changed for ever. The war years, which brought such

tragedy, are graphically described. Paul, aged 20, joined

the RAF and began training as a navigator on Wellington

bombers. The family was living in Croydon and

experienced heavy air raids and the drama of the  Battle

of Britain, moving to Leamington Spa just in time to

witness  the destruction of Coventry, a mere ten miles

away.

Food rationing was severe, and queues for any scarce

commodities were often to be seen - you simply joined on

the end, even if you didn't  know what you were queueing for. 'Once, when we reached the head of  the

queue, we found it was for birdseed!' says Cynthia Morey. 'Life in wartime certainly had its lighter

moments.'

Did we really dress like that? 'Dark is the Dawn' contains some  photos of 1930s fashions which look

quite comical today, though at that time we thought them really splendid- especially the beach wear! 

The old black and white pictures bring back poignant memories of  childhood, and of later years . . . the

wartime ones in particular.

War games

Although deprived during

those war years of so many

luxuries which  we now

consider essential, life was

far from dull. Even air raids

had their compensations, for

as soon as the 'all clear'

sounded, children rushed out

into the street to search for

pieces of shrapnel, some still

warm.

'There was great competition

amongst us to find the

biggest piece for our growing

collections,' the author

remembers. 'We  never

connected those jagged

pieces of metal with the

death they may have

inflicted.'