h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My parents were 17 when WWII started. In a way, they feel that they were robbed of a carefree youth. Life was so precarious and many friends were lost.

My Dad joined the RAF & was one of the ground crew, mostly stationed out in Egypt. On the whole, I don't think it was too bad an experience. He was fortunate in that he got diptheria & while he was in hospital, his squadron was wiped out.

My Mum lived & worked in London & tells how uncertain life was - you never knew if you'd survive the day, or if your home & family would still be there in the evening. She was first aider in her building & saw many people injured from bomb blasts. Once she was sitting on the toilet when a bomb fell nearby, blasting out the tall window behind her!
She recalls how they used to dye their legs with potassium permanganate & draw a line up the back, to look like stockings. They still managed to have fun, as young people will, but the war years certainly had a huge impact on their lives.

They feel that war was an evil necessity at that time. They bear no animosity towards Germans in general.

It was only recently that I discovered my uncle was a conscientious objector, but as he was in a protected occuption, merely carried on working. I gather this was regarded with disfavour by the family, but not to the extent of shunning him.

In the post war years, when my parents married, rationing & general shortages meant having to be economical in most areas of life. They were grateful for any second hand furniture they could get - much of it was still in use during my childhood. Maybe it's my Mum's character anyway, but she sometimes says that it was living through those years that has made her resourceful and able to cope in a crisis.