Dear Sharon,

I ENJOY reading all your articles. The Second World War was remembered by me as I am 88. Food rationing was not good. I still have some ration books. In 1942, my mother and I visited my aunt in London, taking her eggs and other items she was unable to get. She had spent six weeks sleeping in the air raid shelter due to the bombing.

I was staying with my auntie in Darlington when it was bombed.

We worried about cousins who were away fighting in the war. My cousin who was a telegram boy had to go to the same house three times as they lost three sons in the navy.

Aeroplanes sometimes crashed nearby and one crashed on my friend’s house in Northallerton.

Like your mother, we went to dances as we worked hard during the day and I met a Canadian officer and never slept at night when I knew he was on a bombing mission… but that is another story.

Elsie Smith, Northallerton

Dear Sharon,

MY father was a time-served fitter and did all the maintenance around our house. My brother and I used to “help” him as soon as we were old enough to know the difference between a spanner and a hammer. By the time we were married and setting up home for ourselves, we were pretty handy.

My children were the same. You have to take time with them and show them.

My dad used to mend all our shoes too, but that’s something I haven’t done for years.

Greg Reid, by email