Carol Kearney (nee Pegg-Dean) was born in Birmingham in 1939, the year war broke out, was brought up there, and eventually emigrated to the USA in the late 1960's.

First of all I must say what a great website, this is my favourite! As I get older I miss home more and more but no I have no chance of returning, so maybe my reminiscences of days past can bring some others' memories alive so they too can contribute!

My earliest memory is of riding on a train as a very young child, accompanied by my mother and my aunt, to go to Coventry to see family friends.

We left Birmingham Broad Street station (too young to be sure of name), and while crossing the fields the Germans started bombing the train and we had to hide under the seats!

Also about this time, when I was two to three years old, I remember having to go into the cellars of my grandmother's house when there were air raids.

Now, for as long as I live, I will never go into any cellar again!

Although it was set up with beds, chairs and tables, and well stocked with racks of food (both tins and home-made canned fruit and jams etc.), so we could be pretty comfortable whilst down there, it was still scary.

The steep stairs which seemed dark despite the whitewashed walls, and dangling lights were a precursor of the hours waiting until the 'all clear' sounded and we could emerge once more into the real world.

I started school when I was four, my father was in the Royal Air Force and my mother drove ambulances for the ARP so I was a border at the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus whilst my sister was at the Abbey in, I think, Malvern.

During the day we would take 'walks' with the Sister in charge of our class. Of course, we had to wear our uniform (gloves and hats), and would walk hand in hand in 'crocodiles'.

One of the houses by the convent was being used to put up American officers. We would walk past and these gentlemen would call out to us, 'Hey kid, want some candy?'

Of course, we were not allowed to answer them, but as time went on we would ask cheekily, 'Got any gum, chum?' earning us rapped knuckles from the Sisters when we returned to school! I still don't chew gum...hate it in fact.

Many years later I remember going to Kunzles to meet my mother for lunch (always had fried fish and ice cream with hot chocolate sauce!), but one time I had hurried from riding to get to the lunch appointment in time.

I'd gone home to change out of jodhpurs and put on a skirt and blouse but when I got to Kunzle's I found out that in my hurry I had put my skirt on OVER my jodhpurs! Was my mother mad!

I met my first husband at Birmingham University where he was reading metallurgy and I was reading social science. We dated a while -- going to London to the concerts at Queen Elizabeth Hall and to the opening of 'Salad Days', and eventually moved to Somerset.

I'm now trying to find a Sandra Ransom(e) with whom I was friends in the 1950's. I lived in Edgbaston, Birmingham and she lived in Birmingham also, but cannot remember where. We used to go to the pictures and other places together.

Would also like to find any old girls from the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus on Sir Harry's Road in Edgbaston, including Judith and Felicity Awde(spelling)

Now I live in America and still miss home, even after 30 odd years.

Carol G. Kearney, California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, USA., 2002.