大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/大象传媒 RAdio Nottingham on behalf of Thelma Hopewell with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."

In September 1940, we lived in Lawton Crescent, Hucknall. There was 10 children. There was a plane crash. We lived about 400 yards away from Hucknall Aerodrome. This particular night, mum was expecting another baby, we were all in bed. It was pitch black, due to the blackout, and what happened was, as it was all blackout, this plane with a Polish pilot flew too low and crashed into the two houses on the corner. They were Semi-detached, our house and the Evans'. The people next door called Evan's all died - 5 children included. My father got us all out and we had to be divided up to relatives. Our house was gutted.
The Salvation Army were absolutely wonderful, they came with all sorts of clothes and did a collection. We were rehoused on the otherside of Hucknall. My father was a miner at the time. We lost everything. But we were alive, that was the main thing. My sister was born during an air raid in the November 1940.
Some bricks fell on my shoulder. I can remember the flames. My dad and a neighbour rescued us with ladders up to the windows.
I didn't go to school for so many months because of the upset and upheaval.

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