91�ȱ�

By kind permission of the Author

Did the ferries still run in the War?
Did we really go to the beach?
Did I imagine sandy barbed wire?
Quite how far did it reach?
I must have been to the Outdoor Pool
For it had a very familiar feel
When my father found it far too cool.
The Red Sea he said, had more appeal.
I must have been there before, and yet
V.E. had only just happened when
At Dad’s “Re-pat”, all brown and wet,
He swore he wouldn’t swim there again.
Have I misremembered other things
That seemed so clear on first recall?
Has the hazy glow that memory brings
Altered the order, melded it all?
I can feel the shrapnel’s weight in my hand,
See where the bomb had made its mark.
I can hear the barrage balloons in the wind,
Remember the railings around the park
Before “The Salvage” took them away.
It must be true. What’s in my head
Is as clear as if it were yesterday.
A happy time, despite the dread.

‘This story was submitted to the People’s War site by 91�ȱ� Radio Merseyside’s People’s War team on behalf of the author and has been added to the site with his/ her permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.’

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