Aidan fragt seine Großmutter
Do you still remember the War?
I wasn't born until after the war in January 1946, but I remember seeing images after the war of people dying, especially men fighting and remember the sadness of so many people for so many years after. I remember seeing unexploded bombs, destroyed buildings in Liverpool and homes in our street bombed and can remember the food rationing.
What do you think of first when you hear the word "war"?
I think of fighting, people dying, devastation, families torn apart and sadness.
Do you know how your parents got through the War?
My dad was part of a regiment in the catering section, so even though he did not fight, he got to see first-hand what war was like, seeing the soldiers fighting and coming back to the barracks injured or worse. My Mum, my two sisters and my brother were evacuated from Liverpool to Maghull. They lived there for a few months before my Mum got homesick and decided to come home and basically took a chance on our house not getting bombed.
Has your family had any particular experiences in connection with the War?
Where we lived in Liverpool it was heavily affected by the war and the bombing - houses in our street were completely destroyed and families lost their loved ones. One of my Aunties worked in a factory that built ammunition.
What happened after the War?
Even though I remember the sadness of the loss and destruction, there was also a sense of living together without fighting, more love, respect and peace.
Did anybody in your family experience hunger?
I remember food rationing, there were very large queues for food, sometimes waiting hours and when you were finally served, certain foods would be sold out or you would get very small portions. Some foods were scarce especially fruit like bananas for quite time after the war had ended.
Do you believe something could be done to prevent wars from happening?
I think if the world had less weapons. If we work together to understand each other's differences, respect each other and aim to make our lives more peaceful.
- Teil 1: Deutsche Übersetzung / english version below
- Teil 2: Zur englischen Version / english version
