Mo Clougher recalls how her brother was scared at having to wear a gas mask as a child

Resource Type: Audio | Posted on 5th January 2012 by Jenny Porter

Mo recalls how her brother was so frightened by having to wear a gas mask as a child that the family decided to move to Huyton-with-Roby.

Interviewee: Mo Clougher

Interviewee Gender: Female

Date of Interview: 17th August 2011

Interview Transcript

Mo: Well the war broke out and we had to have gas masks and they were trying gas masks out on the children, and my brother, and my brother was terrified and panic had started flying round the school and because of that… I’m not sure what the modern name is for it but they called it Saint Vitus’ Dance now …used to then. I’m not sure what they call it now and they used to get paralysed from shock.  My sister didn’t know about this but I can remember my mother talking about it quite a bit so they were advised by the doctor to move out of the area.  So they went to live in Huyton-with-Roby away from everything…

Jenny: O right.. right.

Mo: For …For, er, erm Fred to you know, get er…anyway I don’t know how, I mean, I didn’t know for years erm but he..

Jenny: hmm

Mo:  But he got ok apparently in Huyton but had no idea how long it took him, but apparently he was alright.  But that’s why we moved out to Huyton-with-Roby

Jenny: Oh right.  So they were worried if he got too frightened…

Mo: He said to move him away from everything that was going on, with the memories of the gas mask and everything he was just so so frightened though.  He was a wreck…

Jenny:  It would be frightening though.

Mo: It would be especially to a little child, he would only be about 6 something like that.

Jenny: yeah mmm

Mo: So that’s why, as I say, we went to live in Huyton-with-Roby.  And then I was born there I was.  There in ’39.… I was born in ‘39 there and then we, erm yeah, we were happy there, it was a nice place to live.

Tagged under: war time, war memories, huyton-with-roby, gas mask

Categorised under: The War

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