大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from 大象传媒 Radio Berkshire on behalf of Roy Pilling and has been added to the site with his permission. Roy Pilling fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was 16, I was a junior clerk at the CWS in Berkley Avenue. They used to make jams and pickles. It was affectionately known as the Jammo.

When the sirens sounded we knew the Germans were nearby, so all the employees went to the basement but when there was an all clear we all came up again. The company were losing a lot of time so they selected 4 of us to become spotters. So we had to study sheets of German aircraft so we knew what shape they were. They built a wooden hut on the roof of the factory, this was for us to go into when the sirens sounded. The object being that we had to look out in 4 different directions through 4 windows. We had to climb a big ladder.

So in February 1943 the sirens went so I was the first one up in to the box. I looked out towards the pumping station, where they used to pump water, looking out across Johnny Bucknell鈥檚 fields. I looked into the sky and saw one plane was coming in on my eye level so I assumed it was an enemy aircraft so I pushed the button so the bell sounded in the factory. Then they all went to the basement. However, almost as soon as I pushed the button the air craft was 200 yds on eye level. I could see the pilot hunched up. My first reaction was to drop on to the floor as I was frightened that he would shoot us. We were all transfixed. We saw the bomb doors open, heard the sound of bullets. Someone was hurt / shot in Fobney Street in Reading near H &G Simmonds. We counted 3 bombs leaving the air craft then we all dropped on the floor thinking if they explode we鈥檇 be blasted off the roof. Then the plane veered left and started to climb heading towards Newbury. I think it was shot down later.

In the evenings I was a messenger for the Air Raid Precautions (ARP), so I got home and put on my uniform and reported to headquaters in East Street where I was given a message to take to the town hall. When I鈥檇 delivered the message I should have come straight back, but I didn鈥檛. There was damage all over Minster Street and people were looking for 2 girls who had run into Watsons. I being a native of Reading knew they were buried under the alleyway, and we found them. They were both dead. They are buried in Caversham, just by the main gate.

The irony is, because I didn鈥檛 report straight back, I got kicked out of the ARP as a messenger.

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