Valerie Diggle recalls life in Tiverton during the war:
There were a few air raids-one bomb was dropped on the workhouse (now being built on in Belmont Rd.). Lots of bullets were also fired as they left a raid on Exeter. When we had an air raid warning (A siren that made an awful wailing noise) we would take a mattress down to the bottom of the stairs- my mother, brother and I + our black spaniel dog would all lay on it-my father was a policeman and had to go out to make sure everyone was safe- we hoped that the two walls we were between would be enough cover if the house was bombed.
As we were young we didn't realise the seriousness of war, so did what we would have done if there wasn't a war - played football and cricket in the road (no cars around as there was only petrol for those who needed it the most), had old bicycles, painted and repainted, picnics in the field by the river (couldn't go to the seaside as it was all barbed wire to keep out the enemy).
When we were at school we did sums, times tables, reading, writing, knitting, put on plays and marched around the playground singing patriotic songs, sticking saving stamps on a bond to help the war effort.
There were a few air raids-one bomb was dropped on the workhouse (now being built on in Belmont Rd.). Lots of bullets were also fired as they left a raid on Exeter. When we had an air raid warning (A siren that made an awful wailing noise) we would take a mattress down to the bottom of the stairs- my mother, brother and I + our black spaniel dog would all lay on it-my father was a policeman and had to go out to make sure everyone was safe- we hoped that the two walls we were between would be enough cover if the house was bombed.
As we were young we didn't realise the seriousness of war, so did what we would have done if there wasn't a war - played football and cricket in the road (no cars around as there was only petrol for those who needed it the most), had old bicycles, painted and repainted, picnics in the field by the river (couldn't go to the seaside as it was all barbed wire to keep out the enemy).
When we were at school we did sums, times tables, reading, writing, knitting, put on plays and marched around the playground singing patriotic songs, sticking saving stamps on a bond to help the war effort.