大象传媒

I can vividly remember several Close Encounters affecting members of my family.
There was the night the new Castle Public House was hit. My dad was in the darts team but that night he was on fire-watching duty so wasn't playing. My elder sister, Joyce was home from Woking where she and my brother, George were evacuated. My baby sister, Elizabeth (Betty) was just about to be put back into her cot in the bedroom as the All Clear had just sounded. Dad called in to see if we were all O.K before going to see how the darts team were doing. Just then we heard the throb of an airoplane, obviously in trouble and limping home from an attack on Central London - there was suddenly the whistle of a bomb coming down getting louder and louder. Dad grabbed hold of Joyce and I and shouted to mum, who was holding Betty, to get under the wooden table in the kitchen. There was an almighty crash and after the noise of falling rubble and breaking glass died down we all got up and realised we were all covered in soot from head to toe. Mum and dad checked over the rest of the flat and found Betty's cot completely covered in splintered glass! Dad rushed down the road - about 200 yards -to the Castle to find it had received a direct hit and almost everyone, including the darts team were dead.
I have a story about the Black and White Milk Bar/Overhead Dance Hall where members of my family also had close encounters, but enough for now. Jean Warren nee Warner

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