Items relating to Maureen McKinney
The contributor brought a poem and song that they wrote about the war experience during the war - Silent bombs memories [sic]. She brought it to share with infant school. The song was written for students to entertain them in the school bomb shelter.
"This bracelet survived in the pocket of Billy Hedley, a RAMC soldier who had to swim to the rescue boats when the British Army were trapped on the beach at Dunkirk in World War II. He lost everything else.
Billy and Bessie lived next door to the contributor in Hunt Avenue; as a child, they made a fuss of her. They were newly wed and went on to have two daughters. The bracelet was gifted to the contributor. She believes there was a sense of community in WWII, which still exists today. Tragedy binds people."
The contributor recalled a plane bomb which killed 45 people, and mining beaches outside Southampton. She heard flapping of a parachute, which could be German, and there was a landmine which shook the house. It missed the initial target but hit a pub. There was nobody in it, but it blew the doors off the bomb shelter. There were red warnings for air raids.
At school, they were encouraged to make things to sell (shells). The interviewee made brooches, which were 7 and 6 pence for selling.
The contributor also brought her ration booklet from World War 2.
