Recalls how the alarm sounded at 5 O'clock on 6th July 1940 and this was followed shortly after by the sound of 'a bomb dropping and then a loud clap of thunder'. When a barrage balloon caught fire she hopes that the Nazi responsible would 'soon be caught by our brave lads'.

Recalling the raids in May 1941 and going to the shelter with old people talking and young babies crying. When she went out after the raid the street next to hers had been hit 'it must have done a great deal of damage' but shortly after her brother came into the shelter to say an incendiary bomb had hit their house and her mother went to help put the fire out whilst she [Mary] stayed in the shelter and looked after the young baby.

During the air raid the following night her mother's and Mrs Gorman's shops were destroyed but says she didn't care as long as we were safe. When they returned to the house the ceiling was down, there was soot everywhere and the food was uneatable so a Warden told them to go to Bourne Chapel. Another night 'Hitler decided to pay us another of his unwelcome visits' and Bean Street was hit.