In the morning, we walked to the small hall and met Phil. He told us what we were going to be doing during the day. As soon as he finished talking, we had to line up in a specific order of boy, girl, boy, girl. Once we had lined up, we were told to put our hands behind our backs and walk silently to the large hall.

The large hall had been set up like an old classroom with a chalk board. When we got there, we stood behind our chairs and Phil told us when we were allowed to sit down. We started off by memorizing a prayer. After that, we learned how to use a gas mask. We recognised the alarm that was used to warn the pupils of an air raid and we hid under the tables. In those days, people used Morrison shelters and Anderson shelters.

We also learnt about rationing. Some of the foods that were rationed were bacon, butter, milk, eggs and sweets. Bacon was the first thing to be rationed. The coupons from The Ration Book were used by the children. We learnt how to use shillings and pennies and how to add them. We found out that 12 pennies is equivalent to 1 shilling.

Later, when there was a fire drill, we lined up in our lines. Some of us got to throw water around the playground like there was a fire. They used a bucket with a hose and pump to spray water.

In the afternoon, we travelled to 1945 and had a party to celebrate VE Day. We were put into groups to perform. Some of us practiced singing the National Anthem, some danced and others were comedians and circus performers. We had a meal (a cup of orange juice, a cucumber sandwich and a jam sandwich) and performed in our groups. After that, we cleaned our dishes.

At the end of the day, Phil told us how much he enjoyed his day with us! We also had a brilliant day!

Laura and Tayibbah 6P