Arrival ... Winifred Mills

As my dad was working in Belfast, it made sense to move closer to his work and so we moved to Donegall Pass when I was 2 years old. We moved into a house in Spruce Street.

I remember, growing up, my mum used to go to church every Sunday and we used to have to attend Sunday School - she belonged to Fitzroy Presbyterian.  We would not have been allowed to play on a Sunday, that was the day for going to church.

I attended Porter’s and M^cQuiston schools as I was growing up; I always had to go, even though I didn’t enjoy it much. Both of these schools were in Donegall Pass. Mrs Steinson was one of my teachers in school - and when my eldest daughter and son went to school she also taught them.

As my early childhood years were during the war, I can remember having air raid shelters in our streets - that was a little frightening. But Donegall Pass didn’t get hit much, it was more Sandy Row.

When we lived in Dromore, my mum did not go out to work as she had to look after the children.  Some time after we moved to Belfast, however, when all the children were ‘up a bit’, she went out to work - firstly in the Curzon Picture House and then she worked in Parks and Cemetries.

My childhood memories are some of the happiest I have.