My name is Fran Airson, and I was born in Sunderland on the 13th of October 1937. We lived close to the river Wear where some of the finest ships were built, and I remember going with my mother and sister to watch the ships being launched, and how proud we all felt.
My father was in the army so we never saw him for months at a time. My sister and I used to wait for the postman to come to see if there was a letter from him.
During the war when bombers attacked us, we used to go to the air raid shelter at first, but my mother hated them, so we ended up standing at the front door watching the planes go overhead as they tried to bomb the docks. Being so young I never felt afraid because I was with my mother and I felt safe.
Rationing changed our way of life. Word used to get around very quickly when the sweet shop got their supplies in, and we would queue for what seemed like hours with our ration book clutched in our hands, and prayed they wouldn't sell out before they got to us.
When my father was demobbed after the war, everyone got together and there were great street parties. We were so happy to have our father home safe, and we were altogether as a family; it is something I will always remember.
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