Memories of World War Two

These are some of the memories which were shared yesterday between grand parents and year 4 children.

Mr Evans told me that he was 3 years old when the war started and he lived on a farm but they didn’t have an Anderson shelter so they had to go down to the public shelter. He also told me that he a baby gas mask. Mrs Fitzpatrick told me that during the war she had a hoop, marbles and peg dolls. She was 9 when the war ended. By Alice T

Mr Evans said that the ration books only had a certain amount of food. He missed his fish and chips! By Ella B

Mr Evans told us his favourite toys were his marbles and a game called ‘nearest to the wall’ – you had to flip your cigarette card nearest the wall to see who won. By Bethany W

Mr Evans told me that his dad worked and his mum didn’t so his mum would look after him. He told me that he did not have an Anderson shelter so went in the streets with more Anderson shelters with concrete on the top and bricks on the side. Mr Evans stayed in Plymouth all though the war. He told me that he wore and gas mask and he felt scared. He said he’d never seen a bomb but he heard lots of bombs around him. He said that after the war all the people in Plymouth celebrated and had a long table full of food. By Preston B

Mr and Mrs Austin said that they were babies but Mr Austin told me that his dad broke his arm. He was walking in the garden back to the house when he heard the air raid siren and looked up in the sky and saw air craft up there. So he ran to the Anderson shelter and the air craft dropped a bomb and it flew through his house. Mr Austin’s dad had lots of bruises and cuts but when he fell down the steps to the Anderson shelter he broke his arm. By Rebecca B

When I spoke to Mrs Fitzpatrick she told me all about life up in Scotland during the war and that she lived near a prisoner of War camp and that one of the German soldiers made her a ring out of a copper coin. Mrs Fitzpatrick also told me that when she came to Plymouth she was sat on a fold up bed with her sister, brother and a cousin, a fire bomb went off outside and they all rushed to the window except her and she got trapped in the bed. By Caitlin L

Mrs Fitzpatrick told me the scariest things was getting into the Anderson shelter because it was dark and cramped. By Alice S

Mr Marlton told us about all the laughs they used to have. One of the funny stories was when he was in the Anderson shelter and a German blew up the carrots he had planted a few days ago and all the bits came flying through the blackout curtains, hitting all of them! By Josh E

Mrs Davey and her family moved to Paignton to stay away from the bombing – they were safe there but the still went out for the air raids. By Libby U

See more memories from the children in Class 3

Memories of my Nan by Daniel O

When my nan was evacuated, she was evacuated to Maidstone in Kent. The whole school went with her and their teachers. She was 9 and her brother was 6. Their host family were sort of nice. One lady was very religious and every Sunday my nan had to stand in the sqaure and sing. My nan had to clean out the chickens and serve the food! The worst bit of the war she said was being away for so long - and the school was bombed so they had to go to a new school three miles away and had to walk. She said that her mum came to see them every 2 or 3 weeks. Her dad was abroad in the army. She was evacuated for 3 years and they were in the air raid shelter every night. When she was 11 she was running to the shelter one time with her brother, they both got in and a bomb went off in the house and her mum was blown to the shelter.

War time memories by Dawn Oaten

Dawn Oaten sent these memories in with her grandson, Ben, today for our World War Two Day. We hope she doesn't mind that we have shared them here.

My mother told me a story which happened during the Second World War when I was a baby. I was in my carrycot waiting to be fed with a gas mask at the ready. We lived with my grandmother in Stoke Village which was very near the dockyard. There was heavy bombing all around us because the Germans were trying to get their number one target - the dockyard. On one particular morning the siren went off warning everyone that air raids were about to happen. We all dashed to the air raid shelter at the end of the road. Some houses had shelters in their gardens, underground. We had just got inside when my mother realised that she had left my bottle in the kitchen. She dashed back and no sooner had returned safely with the milk when the house we lived in took a direct hit. We moved to Whitsands for a few months and lived in a two bedroom chalet with eleven other people. It was a safer place to be despite the overcrowding! When the bombers flew back to Germany across the English Channel any unused bombs would be dropped into the sea which you could see from the cliffs at Whitsands. We were eventually evacuated to Bude. Three families shared a house on the sea front. Sometimes the Germans would sink a ship in the Atlantic Ocean and the cargo would be washed ashore. Food was in short supply so when tins of corned beef and bananas were found on the beach, the local people ate well and would hide the food under the floor boards so they wouldn't go hungry. Sweets also were a rare treat....... but that's another story!

World War Two Day 2009

Today the year 4 children enjoyed another fantastic World War Two day sharing experiences of grand parents. The relationship between the children and the older generation was of mutual respect. The children asked pertinent and thoughtful questions, listening with great interest to the responses. As it is 70 years since the start of the war we are seeing decreasing numbers of relatives with these experiences so are grateful to all those who came today. The children are certainly fortunate to be able to share these memories before it is too late!

Look at our evacuee children talking to grandparents in the photos below.

The day was further enhanced by photos, artefacts and the expertise of Rob and Roly from Plymouth CityMuseum. The children used "thinking skills" to investigate various helmets from the Home Front as well as studying photographs of Plymouth to explore the effects of the war locally.

We really have to say a great big thank you to all our visitors who made our day so special. Without them this day would not be viable. The staff and pupils therefore extend huge thanks to Mr Evans, Mr & Mrs Austin, Mrs Fitzpatrick, Mr & Mrs Buet, Mrs Davey and Mr & Mrs Marlton.

The afternoon ended with a VE party! The children sampled war time fayre of spam or jam sandwiches, scones and blancmange and jelly accompanied by dandelion and burdock, cream soda and cloudy lemonade. Some war time music set the mood.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.

List Poetry

After a great Healthy School Week, Class 4 have returned to poetry and experimenting with form. We have been creating list poems. A list poem is one of the oldest forms of poetry. The same word or words or class of words start each line. Each line is different, so that the lines create a different effect on their own.
'The Door' attributed to a Czech poet Miroslav Hulob translated by Ian Milner and George Theiner

The Door by Class 4

Go and open the door

Maybe outside there's a

planet or a solar system

a rocket,

or a sun.

Go and open the door

Maybe children playing

Maybe you'll see a house

or a room,

or a photograph

of a family.

Go and open the door

Even if there's only a shadow

even if there's

a cold breeze

even if

nothing is there,

go and open the door.

At least

there'll be

a draught

Friend

If you'd be my friend

I'd paint myself gold

live in a hold,

ride up to space

eat toothpaste,

stay up all night

have a fright,

share my last sweet

have nothing to eat,

and smile without end

if you'd be my friend.

Joe W-C. and Max W.

Friend

If you'd be my friend,

I'd paint myself cream

live in a dream,

call myself Fred

never go to bed,

swear at my dad

always be bad,

live a good life

swallow a knife,

and smile without end

if you'd be my friend

Darcy Toms and Josh Evans

War List Poem

As part of our cross curricular work this term we have used our World War Two study to give us ideas for writing a list poem in Literacy. We read people's memories and newspaper extracts of the blitz, highlighting words and phrases that we liked. We then arranged these into a list poem about war.

Under a bomber's moon
night was fresh and clear
silence was shattered
louder and louder
the crack of bursting shells
flares that seem to hang in the sky
bombs which set the city ablaze
rushing and crackling of fire
the noise of the blitz was terrifying
Crisscrosing searchlights in the midnight sky
Under a bomber's moon

Healthy Week

Despite the rain at 9am this morning, nothing could dampen the spirits of Class 4 as they began their Healthy week timetable.

Today the children have begun their multi- skills activities, learnt a simple dance with the "Putting on the Ritz" team, as well as a competition with the dance mats, rounding the day of by considering what makes a good friend. Victory won the overall Dance Mats competition for Class 4!

These were the qualities that we thought made a good friend: friendly, caring, thoughtful, playful, cheerful, pleasant, trustworthy, kind, reliable, generous, funny, good humoured, helpful

Here are somec photos of today's activities, including multi-skills, Putting on the Ritz and the dance mats competition.

BubbleShare

Putting on the Ritz

I really enjoyed Putting on the Ritz because it was fun to learn the routine - Alice

I enjoyed the multi-skills - it was fun - Preston

The Dance mats were fun - they were fast and some of us just ended up stepping on any mat! - Darcy

I really enjoyed the multi-skills because I realised that I was good at the activities - Joe