大象传媒

Flying Bomb incident at Lewisham, London.

The date was Saturday, June 17th, 1944 at 9.20 p.m. I was home in 14 Walerand Road,
with my parents, William and Agnes Green. I was 13 at the time.

We were listening to the 大象传媒 Home Service, Saturday Night Theatre, which started at 9 p.m.

Then the Air Raid Siren went, and mum and dad made their way to the Shelter in the garden. I, of course, wasn鈥檛 scared so I opened the window to see if I could see one of these bombs, I鈥檇 heard so much about, actually in flight.

The usual procedure of the Bomb鈥檚 journey was; leaving the French Coast with enough jet fuel to take it to London. The engine would then cut out over a densely populated area, and the bomb would detonate on impact.

I n my case, the complete opposite happened. I looked out of the window, I was on the third floor, and to my amazement, the 鈥楤omb鈥� was flying down our road at my eye level with the engine still operative. It was awesome. A silver machine straight out of the Sci-Fi World of the future was flying down my road and heading for the School directly opposite my home. For some reason it was going very slow. Its front touched the School spire and it altered the direction of the flight. I watched, rigid, as the thing hurtled into the block of Apartments 150 yards away.

The subsequent explosion sent a blast, so intense, it destroyed our house鈥檚 interior and it collapsed inside itself taking me with it. I ended up under the debris on the ground floor, so I was told, when I was eventually dug out by the Rescue Services.

I was unconscious for a long time and when I came to, I was in pain all over my body.
I was dreaming of a knife plunging into my arm. I thought I was dead, and this must be Hell. I tried to move but I had furniture, glass and debris on top of me. I could hear people screaming nearby. It was a nightmare.

I was fully conscious now and realised I was lucky to be alive and not too badly hurt, though I could taste blood and dust in my mouth and could not see much for the blood running down my face from a head wound.

In what seemed to be hours, I was eventually dug out and found my anxious parents waiting, and crying, thinking I was dead. I was helped up and refused the use of an
Ambulance. Instead I had First Aid on the spot. The 鈥渒nife鈥� in my dream, was a length of broken glass embedded in my right arm and I still have the scars on my arm and my forehead to this day.

By now the neighbours were out joining us and they squinted when they saw me. I must have looked a sight. Eventually, all the walking wounded were taken by coach to a Rest Centre which was a converted Catholic Missionary House in Belmont Hill, where we stayed for two weeks. Then we squatted in a deserted house in Loampit Vale and stayed there till the end of the War. Now, every year on June 17th, at
9.20 p.m. The memory of that night returns without fail, 60 years on!!!
Incident Number Two

This next experience happened around June 6th, 1940. I was 9 years old and had been evacuated to Penrhyn in Cornwall for the duration.

Dunkirk had fallen and the troops were being evacuated all along the Fresh Coast.

That particular day, I went with my friends after school to Falmouth to watch the ships in the Harbour. We passed a small jetty and noticed a couple of Ambulances waiting so we hung around to watch what was going on.

Shortly afterwards, a large Yacht docked and it was full of Soldiers, some walking, others on stretchers. An Officer said to me and my friends 鈥淐ome on you lads. Give us a hand to get these men off.鈥�

We jumped on board and proceeded to help the men, who were in a terrible state.
Arms and legs shot off. Blood gushing from bandaged wounds.

We managed to get the men off and I was just leaving the boat when I heard a noise from below deck. I opened a door and there below was a solitary soldier lying badly wounded. I said to him. 鈥淐ome on mate. The boats going back to France in a minute.
Let鈥檚 get you up on deck!鈥� He replied 鈥淟isten, son. I鈥檓 going nowhere!鈥� He gripped my arm and said 鈥淧ost this letter for me to me mum, O.K.?鈥� I looked at the letter and said 鈥淚t鈥檚 got no stamp on it.鈥� He said 鈥淭hat鈥檚 alright. It鈥檒l get there.鈥� I looked at his wounds. He had blood oozing out of his stomach and I felt sick.

I put the letter in my pocket meaning to post it on shore. He was holding my arm so tight. I said 鈥淢ate, we must go. I鈥檒l help you on to the deck, so you can be treated.鈥�

His eyes were now closed. I felt his pulse, there was nothing. He had passed away peacefully, but he was still gripping my arm. I managed to prize it away and went to the port hole and to my horror; we were well out to sea.

I started to panic. But I managed to pull myself together and go up on deck. It was deserted, only the crew were around. I kept quiet and waited. Soon, I heard the sound of gunfire, bombs exploding and aircraft dive-bombing the beaches. I thought this must be Dunkirk, but I later realised we were miles further down the Coast.

We arrived at the small jetty, and I saw scores of men queuing to get on the Yacht.
I jumped off the boat and ran up the beach. Why I don鈥檛 know. I wasn鈥檛 thinking straight. An Officer shouted to me 鈥淎re you from that boat, boy?鈥� I said 鈥淵es, Sir.鈥�
He said 鈥淲ell get back on board unless you want to end up shot by the Germans?鈥�

I took his advice and got back on board. How we escaped the bombs, I鈥檒l never know.
We arrived back in Falmouth unscathed, and I ended up as I started, helping the Soldiers off. At the gang plank, an Officer said 鈥淕ood lad.鈥�

I rushed into town to get the bus to Penrhyn and got a hiding from my landlady for missing my tea. She, nor anyone else, believed the story of my little adventure.

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