Betty: We lived on a farm in Surrey, 20 miles from London. We saw the Battle of Britain - we were out in the corn fields and it was raging overhead and so frightening we had to run home. The planes were firing at each other and shrapnel was falling everywhere.

We had a lot of firebombs on the farm too, but luckily they didn't go off.

Dad dug a big hole in the ground as a shelter. We'd go down there to be safe, but one day the bull walked across it and collapsed the whole thing! I don't think it would have been very helpful if a bomb had fallen on it - we didn't go down there again.

When we were down in the shelter, I would be shaking like a leaf, but Mary would be sat there knitting or making things with the candle grease.

Mary: When the sirens went, we had to go in the sand caves in the school grounds. When the bombing stopped we'd come out and watch the Americans in their big wagons pass by, and would shout 'have you got any gum, chum' and we'd have all sorts of sweets thrown down to us.

We moved up here after our parents went on holiday to Conwy. They got the local paper, read about a farm for sale and before we knew where we were, we were all up here. Dad had said he wouldn't ever go to North Wales again, but the next minute he'd bought Cefn Brianog, not far from Pantglas.

It was an absolute culture shock coming to North Wales. Three of us - me, Betty and our younger brother - came on our own to Penygroes station. Betty told me to have a look out of the window - but all I could see were these tiny lamplights. We were picked up by our parents and taken up to the farm in the dark.

The next day was a beautiful day. We woke up and looked out of the window - but couldn't see anything. Having come from Surrey, just 20 miles from London, it was a shock just to be able to see the sea, and nothing else. Not another house in sight, just Bwlch Mawr mountain and the sea. It was all rather nice, but very quiet.

All our younger brothers and sisters learnt Welsh very quickly because they went to school at Bwlch Derwyn. There were only about 12 children in the school - mostly us and another family from Bryn Eifion Farm.

Betty and I used to do the milk round, from Glengoch all the way round the coast. We'd get the cows in, milk them, bottle the milk and get it delivered. Betty drove the van and I stood up looking after the bottles. It wasn't my idea of fun and when I was 17 I went to Shrewsbury to become a nurse. I did take off, but I'm glad to be back.

Betty: I stayed on the farm until I met my husband. He was in the RAF and we've lived all over the world. We lived in Singapore for two years - had Singapore Slings in Raffles - it was a fantastic place to live. We're going back in August I hope.

When my husband was at RAF Valley, we bought a house in Holyhead, then Carmel, and then moved to Talysarn. Mary bought our old house in Holyhead when she came up from Birmingham and now we're all here, all the brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren. There are about 70 odd of us from the five who came up from Surrey - we've definitely made our mark on Gwynedd!