War time was dismal with the blackouts, but people all helped each other out; there was a great feeling of friendliness.
There were lots of limitations to everyday life. You needed a special permit to go to the mainland.
My dad had a permit for fishing in a boat called ‘Snipe’. His licence was limited to the area from the pier to the Common and for a certain number of yards out. Access to the pier was banned. You could go over to Sandhard, but weren’t allowed outside the breakwater.
I worked as a Red Cross nurse and was called up and served at Albany and Netley.
I was married to Thomas Cokes from Camp Road in Freshwater in 1941. He was a sailor first of all on Q merchant ships, when he was shipwrecked in the bay of Biscay, then he was in the Royal Navy, including being on Malta during the siege.
Joan Cokes nee Cooper b1918