大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War by Judith Harridge of Leamington Library on behalf of Edith Powell and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
George my husband was in a reserved occupation tool-making for war factories. Myself, Edith a housewife, lived in 3 Spires Avenue. We had Glynn who was born in August 1938 so he was only one year three months when raids began. Because of the nature of the garden soil we didn鈥檛 have an Anderson shelter as they had a liability to flooding after rain. So George made a protected area in the house in the front room by pulling the piano into the middle of the room and we could put a mattress behind it with enough space between the piano and the wall to lay the mattress. We lined it with cushions, pillows and blankets and here we kept emergency bags containing toiletries, a bit of food and spare clothing. Basic necessities only. Our evening meal was often late because of George鈥檚 working overtime and having to cycle home in the blackout. On the 14th November, we had just finished washing up some pans and placed them on the tabletop mangle. Glynn had been put to bed in his cot upstairs when we heard the distinctive noise of German airplanes and the siren going off full blast. The swish of firebombs and bomb explosions followed. I dashed upstairs for Glynn and brought him down and snuggled with him in our den. George went outside to watch for firebombs etc on both sides as our neighbours were a widow and a daughter who left each night for the countryside. Other families did this too. So fire-watching was vital for the few men left. Some time between 10 and 11pm there was a terrific explosion on our side of the crossroads caused by a landmine and three men were killed at this time. The blast practically demolished the four corner houses starting fires and roofs suffered and windows and front doors were blown off. Fires made highly lighted targets for further bombs. Fortunately we ourselves received no physical damage and George thought for safety he should take to us to the deep shelter on Radford Common. A good ten to fifteen minutes walk away as we would be loaded with a baby and bags. The night was bright as day with not only sky lit up by fires but there was a full moon in a purely cloudless sky. Because of still falling firebombs and falling flack from gunfire both attacking and defensive we dodged into the nearest Anderson street shelter until a lull should occur. Luckily someone had left a dining chair in this shelter, which I sat on gratefully with Glynn on my knees. George returned to his fire-watching popping in occasionally to see if we were ok. But we stayed put. However there was a disturbing feature of the street through the night. Not a soul appeared or went by. No air raid warden came, no volunteer checking the blackout or families running for their lives. At first I thought they鈥檇 all reached shelter of some kind perhaps in their back gardens but it began to feel uncanny as absolutely no one but George came along. What a relief with the moon still shining when the all clear sounded and we were able to make our way back home. Yet again no one appeared in that street. It was only later in the day that we learned why. A delayed action bomb had dropped in the garden of the house directly opposite to where we had taken refuge. And the whole street had been evacuated before we arrived there. And we had been sitting there the whole of the night. Truly we were saved to serve. When the war started we had been married just 4 years but the Lord gave us the privilege to have 65 years happily together serving him in many various ways. And so it is to him I give all the glory.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.