“I looked through the window when sirens went off and was watching little dots that went from smoky gray to dull red in the sky. It was the start of the Blitz.” – Peter Stenhouse
Rita Stewart, left, and her sister, Roma Ekstrom, remember life in England during World War II on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 15, 2015 at Stewart’s Vancouver home. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Rita Stewart: In outlying communities where she and her sisters were sent “the kids were very mean to evacuees. They would say ‘Your mom and dad will get mustard-gassed and die.”
Roma Ekstrom: After her brother’s ship was torpedoed, “he was missing in action and presumed dead. We mourned for him.” Then one day, “there’s a knock on the door, and he’s there.”
Brenda Hall, who grew up in England during World War II, is pictured with a certificate some English children received from King George VI after World War II on Friday morning, Dec. 18, 2015. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Brenda Hall: When her younger brother misbehaved, she’d tell him that, ” ‘Hitler is coming! Listen! You can hear those boots outside now, marching!’ That straightened him up a bit.”
Peter Stenhouse, who grew up in London during WWII as the Germans bombed London, is pictured Friday morning, Dec. 11, 2015 at Pearson Air Museum. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Peter Stenhouse: “My father was killed by a V-2. They had a ton of TNT. They never found anything to bury.” His remains are “somewhere in a landfill north of London.”