John Tilley's memories of the beginning of World War II

I was born at the end of 1934 (31 December), my memories only start when I was five years old. My father, when war broke out, was only 24, but married personnel were not called up until 1942 at this time.

Our family was living in my grandfather's tithed cottage in Newton Harcourt, Leicestershire. He unfortunately died, so my mother and I had to move from the cottage. My father was in the REME at Corsham, Wiltshire where he was employed by the army as a painter in the REME workshops in the Box tunnels. He fortunately was informed by the army that in view of his personal circumstances he would hopefully spend the rest of the war in this situation. Consequently he managed to arrange an employment for my mother as a housekeeper in Corsham, so that Mother and I could move and live nearby to Father, who was living in barracks. This arrangement continued until the end of hostilities, after which the family all moved to Wigston in Leicestershire.