SLEEPY Greatham was transformed forever in 1939.
Dorothy Clark was just nine years old when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced the Britain was at war with Germany.
In no time at all, the sleepy village was transformed into an army base.
Dorothy, now a grandmother-of-two, said: "We had eight army camps in the village, an airport nearby and soldiers drilling on the green.
... more feature stories from Mail2"Even as a child, the soldiers, who came from all over the country, would talk to you. They missed their own families. You used to bring them in and mothers always had a cup of tea ready for them. That's what the soldiers missed when they were away from home.
"Everyone opened their doors in those days."
Dorothy Clark
Dorothy, 77, who attended Greatham Primary School as a child, is helping to compile a book on village life.
She added: "Things are so different now. Everyone in the village was very close and everybody cared for each other. If anybody was ill, everybody looked after them.
"Women had to go to work as well as the men and women had to fill some of the men's jobs up."
Dorothy said her parents, the late Richard and Janet Thompson, played a part during the war.
Mr Thompson was a bus driver who worked for Bloomers Garage at Sapper's Corner and later for United buses.
Mrs Thompson was a member of the Women's Volunteer Service (WVS).
It was not always happy times in the picturesque village.
"We had a few bombings in the area," said Dorothy.
"The Cerebos factory was targeted. It was terrifying as a child but exciting going down into the shelters of Greatham Hall.
"Later, families got their own shelters in their gardens. They were like table-tops."
Then life changed again. Peace returned to Britain.
And for Dorothy and the rest of Greatham, it meant more changes.
"Some people went away and didn't come back, some married away and stayed away and new people came into the village," she said.
Dorothy has helped to write a book on war-time Greatham with fellow villagers Brian Walker and Hugh Stitt.
She has spent hours researching the book and speaking to villagers in their eighties.
The memories of others who have moved away have also been recorded.
Dorothy said: "The book will be a nice keepsake. The war is something that should never be forgotten. Information is still coming in.
"It was a great experience to gather the information, but also so moving, especially when you got to see all these photographs of young boy soldiers who never came back. It was heartbreaking.
"The book was inspired by a re-enactment day we had in September 2005.
It was like stepping back in time. Everyone in the village took part and had taped-up windows and there were vintage cars on the streets. It really was a terrific day."
Speaking of her childhood, she continued: "Growing up in those times, even though it was sad, was a wonderful experience. I don't think times like those will ever come back.
"It was exciting running down the air-raid shelters, even though we were nervous. I suppose we didn't really take it seriously at that age.
"Quite a few people in the village, some in their eighties, have really good memories of the war and if the book hadn't been written now, it might never have been done."
Dorothy, the wife of the late Geoff Clark, has a son Peter Clark, 52, and grandchildren Joe and Rebecca Clark, who are 21 and 17 respectively.
The book, which costs £5, can be ordered by ringing her on (01429) 870292.
It is also on sale at Stonehouse Butchers, in Front Street, Greatham, McKie Grocers in Egerton Terrace, Greatham, Atkinson Print in Church Street, Hartlepool, and The Book Inn, Billingham Town Centre.
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