Many children's dads were in the Home Guard, Auxilliary Fire Service or were Air Raid Wardens but mums in the district tended to stay at home and look after the children. This in itself was hard work with rationing, knitting to be done and looking after evacuees.

One boy remembered his dad going up the road to war after volunteering and remembers his mum crying a lot. Some dads did important jobs in factories, were too old or had bad health so didn't get called up. One boy's dad was a clergyman and ARP warden. This was sometimes a very sad job as it was his duty to go and see people who had lost members of their family.

Some mums worked at the ROF (Royal Ordnance Factory) in Euxton, but most children did not realise what their parents made. It was all secretive - 'Careless Talk Costs Lives'.

The Home Guard trained every week and it was a very serious occupation. Many were working as well as being in the Home Guard.

Many schools had first aid classes and talks about how to grow vegetables and many children had vegetable plots either at school or at home.