Former Lillington resident recalls memories of VE Day and the Second World War

A man who grew up in Lillington has shared his memories of VE Day and the Second World War.

Robert Barnes, 84, who used to live in Melton Road, now lives in Wakefield.

With today (Friday) being the 75th anniversary of VE Day Robert has shared some of his memories with The Courier.

"I was about six or seven when we lived on Melton Road. We moved there from Bedworth after our house was badly damaged in the Blitz.

"I remember the party there were long trestle tables in the street and hardly any cars because very few people had cars during the war.

"Everybody went mad. Everyone was excited and happy it was all over and after that we could take the blinds down and tape off the windows.

"We had to do that because of the blackout and to stop the glass splitting and exploding just in case there was an explosion.

"There was a nice community feel and everybody was generally relieved it was over. We all spent the day with our families because it was a holiday.

"At the end of the war it took a long time to get back to normal as rationing carried on for some time."

Robert, who went on to join the Civil Service and work in the National Assistance Board and the department of health and social security, also remembers the Blitz and the attack on Coventry.

"I remember the night of the Blitz - it was terrifying. We were living in Bedworth at the time.

"A bomb dropped two houses away and it badly damaged our house. It broke all the windows and blew down the door.

"I remember the whole sky - everywhere you looked it was red from the fires of Coventry."

Robert also has many fond memories of living in Lillington and remembers what it was like to live there during the war.

"I remember when the bottom of Lime Avenue just ended in fields but it has all been built on now.

"There was an air raid shelter on the opposite side of Melton Road and there was another under the playground at Lillington School.

"I remember the rationing. We kept chickens and my brother had rabbits and we also had an allotment where we had a pig.

"You were allocated a certain amount of food from the Government and when we killed the pig we had to hand over half of it over to the Government in lieu of help for the food.

"We were quite self supplied with food - better than a lot of people.

"It was happy days despite the war. I went to Lillington School then Milverton School and then Leamington College.

"We then left the area because my father was in the Civil Service."

Like people around the country Robert will be marking VE Day today.

"Where we live we have very nice neighbours - we have all been here around 60 years - and we are all going out at 6pm to raise a glass.

"I still have part of my RAF uniform from when I did National Service so I will be trying to get that on and I will be flying the Union Jack flag outside the house."