riend's father came home from Burma, where he had spent many days and nights, up to his waist in swamp water, with his rifle held above his head, and when he came out of the water, he was covered in leeches, that were stuck to his skin. They had to be removed with salt, and this irritated his skin and caused a fever. After the war was over, he only lived for 1 year, as his kidneys had suffered, due to the time he spent in the swamp.

Many people put Britains survival at the feet of Winston Churchill, and his resounding voice, urging people to "fight in the streets" and that we would never surrender. I do believe that this was the case, as people needed to hear encouraging words, in the midst of so much tragedy.

Listening to the recent election rhetoric in America, I was drawn back to those days, thinking how Americans

When the second world war started, I was a child, living in Scotland with my parents. My father had built an underground shelter, that allowed ourselves and our immediate neighbours, a place of safety during the air raids. I remember being rushed down there whenever the sirens sounded, as we lived close to the Clydeside Docks, which was a main target for the German Luftwaffe. The shelter was quite small, and dark, and very claustrophobic. To wile away the time and keep their minds off of the immediate danger, the men and women would discuss politics, as they were of different parties. The debate could get quite heated at times, but this in fact was a good thing, it shut the sounds of war out. When the 'all clear' rang and we were able to get out of the shelter, one thing had changed. The people who emerged were not of different parties anymore, they were one thing, they were all British!!

I often wonder now, if the fact that we did not have nightly television beaming into our houses, showing all the horrors that our young men were facing, the dead and dying, the crippled and maimed, did this in fact, help us to keep going?. We did not see them fighting battles or being buried, we did not see the thousands that faced death every day, we were not kept up to date with the daily count of casualties, nor did we have television reporters in our living rooms, detailing every gruesome detail. We only knew one thing, we were in the fight of our lives, and we stood shoulder to shoulder to maintain our freedom, to save our land from invasion.

Rich and poor alike, could suddenly find themselves in the underground shelters, hearing the bomb blasts, and wondering if their homes still stood, or if their loved ones at home, had survived. When the 'all clear' would sound, they would pick their way through the rubble of demolished homes, listening to cries for help ringing in their ears, as they hurried to find if their homes were still standing.

Food rationing was another casualty of war time. Bananas were not shipped in any more, as they were considered a luxury item, and should not take up valuable space in the cargo ships. Milk was almost impossible to find, and most people had to make do with cans of condensed milk, also eggs were scarce (unless you knew a farmer) and butter was unheard of. Margarine was all we could get, and in place of sugar, we had to use a substitute, which tasted like bitter alum. The biggest blow to everyone in Britain, was when they rationed tea!! Our national drink, the one thing that could make you feel better on a cold miserable night. We were allowed two teaspoonfuls a week, and oh! how we treasured that 'cuppa'. A cup of tea was the first thing people thought about, in time of tragedy. It seemed to bring people together, just a way of saying I'm sorry, have tea with me, and I will share your pain and sorrow.

Women could not get nylon stockings, so they painted black lines down the backs of their legs, using orange colored stain to look like nylons. My neighbour covered an old straw hat with black boot polish, to visit a posh restaurant with a new boyfriend, forgetting as she took it off in the restaurant, that it would leave a black ring around her forehead! Yes, there were many substitutes used for the real thing, in those dark days.

On the bleaker side, my friend's father came home from Burma, where he had spent many days and nights, up to his waist in swamp water, with his rifle held above his head, and when he came out of the water, he was covered in leeches, that were stuck to his skin. They had to be removed with salt, and this irritated his skin and caused a fever. After the war was over, he only lived for 1 year, as his kidneys had suffered, due to the time he spent in the swamp.

Many people put Britains survival at the feet of Winston Churchill, and his resounding voice, urging people to "fight in the streets" and that we would never surrender. I do believe that this was the case, as people needed to hear encouraging words, in the midst of so much tragedy.

Listening to the recent election rhetoric in America, I was drawn back to those days, thinking how Americans h

arties anymore, they were one thing, they were all British!!

I often wonder now, if the fact that we did not have nightly television beaming into our houses, showing all the horrors that our young men were facing, the dead and dying, the crippled and maimed, did this in fact, help us to keep going?. We did not see them fighting battles or being buried, we did not see the thousands that faced death every day, we were not kept up to date with the daily count of casualties, nor did we have television reporters in our living rooms, detailing every gruesome detail. We only knew one thing, we were in the fight of our lives, and we stood shoulder to shoulder to maintain our freedom, to save our land from invasion.

Rich and poor alike, could suddenly find themselves in the underground shelters, hearing the bomb blasts, and wondering if their homes still stood, or if their loved ones at home, had survived. When the 'all clear' would sound, they would pick their way through the rubble of demolished homes, listening to cries for help ringing in their ears, as they hurried to find if their homes were still standing.

Food rationing was another casualty of war time. Bananas were not shipped in any more, as they were considered a luxury item, and should not take up valuable space in the cargo ships. Milk was almost impossible to find, and most people had to make do with cans of condensed milk, also eggs were scarce (unless you knew a farmer) and butter was unheard of. Margarine was all we could get, and in place of sugar, we had to use a substitute, which tasted like bitter alum. The biggest blow to everyone in Britain, was when they rationed tea!! Our national drink, the one thing that could make you feel better on a cold miserable night. We were allowed two teaspoonfuls a week, and oh! how we treasured that 'cuppa'. A cup of tea was the first thing people thought about, in time of tragedy. It seemed to bring people together, just a way of saying I'm sorry, have tea with me, and I will share your pain and sorrow.

Women could not get nylon stockings, so they painted black lines down the backs of their legs, using orange colored stain to look like nylons. My neighbour covered an old straw hat with black boot polish, to visit a posh restaurant with a new boyfriend, forgetting as she took it off in the restaurant, that it would leave a black ring around her forehead! Yes, there were many substitutes used for the real thing, in those dark days.

On the bleaker side, my friend's father came home from Burma, where he had spent many days and nights, up to his waist in swamp water, with his rifle held above his head, and when he came out of the water, he was covered in leeches, that were stuck to his skin. They had to be removed with salt, and this irritated his skin and caused a fever. After the war was over, he only lived for 1 year, as his kidneys had suffered, due to the time he spent in the swamp.

Many people put Britains survival at the feet of Winston Churchill, and his resounding voice, urging people to "fight in the streets" and that we would never surrender. I do believe that this was the case, as people needed to hear encouraging words, in the midst of so much tragedy.

Listening to the recent election rhetoric in America, I was drawn back to those days, thinking how Americans

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