Keep Calm and Carry On: an interview with my mother.

I just put some "Keep Calm and Carry On" postcards in my Etsy shop. I made them because I thought it would be nice for people to have small versions of this British WWII poster to put up on desks, etc., or to mail to friends. I also wanted to give one to my mother, who is a survivor of the bombing in London during WWII.

My mother Andrea is a local antiquarian & rare/used bookseller here in Portland. Here is our mini interview; her answers to my questions about what it was like to be in London as a small child while it was being bombed by the Germans:

"The planes had a sound in the air when they started - there was a siren that went off and everyone dashed for a shelter and waited for the bombing to be over. I remember my parents holding me in the bomb shelter, and the grownups would try and distract you so the kids wouldn't get scared."

"The blitz could happen day or night, dad was an air raid warden and went around to make sure all the lights were out. They kept the lights off to keep London dark so the Germans couldn't see us."

"I used to play in the rubble, the bombs made craters that would fill with water and collect frogs and newts. Later I learned it was dangerous to play there, as there were many unexploded bombs. They sent the pregnant women to Wales to give birth, I was born in Wales but my mom wanted to be back in London (she was a scrappy patriotic personality)."

As an aside, my mom shares the same day of birth and year as John Lennon.