At a recent Bridlington
Royal Naval Association (RNA)
meeting at the Old Ship Inn,
special guest was local historian
and raconteur 90-year-old Delia
Smith who gave an enlightening
talk about her experiences as a
young girl growing up in wartime
Bridlington.
As a young girl, one of her most
vivid memories was being unable to
go on the beach for several years due
to it being cordoned off with barbed
wire as the town was seen as a possible
landing site for a German invasion.
She also recalled many ships in the
bay, with everything grey – including
the skies. Bridlington was heavily
bombed from 1940 onwards with
scenes of devastation rivalling other
parts of Britain, this wasn’t illustrated
with photographs from her own
collection. (There is also a permanent
exhibition in Bridlington Library.)
Photo courtesy of Ian Ellis
