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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Maurice Antill. He fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was born in Asfordby on 12th August 1936. On Tuesday October 3rd 1940 I was playing with my brother outside our house when our neighbour Mrs Radcliffe came and told us not to play on the road as we might get killed - "You would be better off in the field across the road!"

So we crossed the road and squeezed through the railings into the field. Just inside the field was a brook - kids’ paradise. We all played there but on this occasion we ran up the field with some other kids. We knew that it would soon be tea time.

We lived in the shadow of Holwell Iron Works and at the back of the house was the Gun Range where they tested guns, but at the age of four, who cared about things like that.

The next thing I knew was that some leaves fell on my head. It was dark and dirt was raining down on us. The bomb dropped by a lone bomber had hit a brook. It was said that if it had hit the concrete road Asfordby Valley would have been no more.

I am told that my brother took me home and all the windows in the houses along the street were blown out. At the top of our stairs the dividing wall between us and Mrs Radcliffe was not there anymore. My mother had been doing some toast in front of the fire but that was spoilt by all the soot coming down from the chimney.

It was a lucky escape and I think only two people were hurt. One, my aunty, was hit by shrapnel in the arm and a girl who was in the field rolled under a gate and hurt her arm.

Thank you, Mrs Radcliffe, wherever you are for telling us to play in the field as we might get killed on the road.

Maurice Antill

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