By Patricia Canon Fitzpatrick from Aberystwyth:

"My name is Patricia Canon Fitzpatrick and I was approximately 5 when the war started. We lived in London for a year or two during the war but my Father was with the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and therefore they decided that even though he had to stay in central London for his work we were to to be moved.

We moved to a place called Ansdell which is in between Lytham St Anne's and Blackpool. We were fortunate enough to live right opposite the Lytham St Anne's golf course. Mother, my brother and myself. Mother was never in very good health so I think perhaps I grew up a little bit quicker than other kids of my age. I basically had to do things as Father was in London coming home perhaps once every four weeks for a weekend.

Our garden was dug up and we had all veg in the garden. I was in charge of all that. One day I went out into the front, I was about 7. I saw two men coming along carrying saws and I remember standing there with my hands on my hips saying, 'What are you going to do with those?' 'We're taking your railings love' he said. I said, 'What do you mean you're taking our railings? My mother won't let you take our railings', I said. 'Oh yes we've got to take them for the war effort.' 'Well', I said 'you can take them but you bring them back after the war'. And I remember the look on their faces!

Ansdell's junior 'Private Walker'

Besides having the garden full of veg we used to keep chickens. These chickens were on a plot of unused land next to a little row of shops. In those days it was wonderful to have fresh eggs. It was my job to go to the beach to collect shells which we'd bash up to put in with the potato peelings, and off I'd go on my bicycle to feed the chickens and pick up the eggs.

And this row of shops got used to me coming along after school with my bucket on my bicycle. I reckon I was the youngest you know Dad's Army, Walker I was the youngest Walker ever because at the age of 7-8 I would go pick up the eggs put them in my bucket and the third shop was a fish shop and he'd come out and talk to me and one day he asked, 'How many eggs have you got?'. And I said, 'quite a few' because we had a few chickens. 'I'd give anything for a fresh egg' he said so I said ok. I gave him two eggs and for those two eggs he gave me a piece of fish.

I cottoned on to this and two or three doors down was a grocer so I used to go down and talk to the grocer by the door there, 'I'll give you two eggs if you like'. So I gave him two eggs and I got some fruit in exchange. So I would be going out with a bucket of potato peelings and coming back with eggs, fish and fruit. So we did quite well."