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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Chloe Broadley of the CSV 大象传媒 Coventry and Warwickshire Action Desk on behalf of Leslie Tatham and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I got married at the start of the war. I was in a reserved occupation to start with - I worked at the Morris from 1929, went up to Courthouse Green in 1937. I was an Air Raid Warden on the 303 Post in Avon Street - my wife was a warden too, until she became pregnant. One night I was stood talking to a pal instead of reporting in, a bit further up the road, when the house opposite the post was hit. The family from there had gone into their shelter, then one of the men had gone into the house to make some tea. The house was flattened, except for the gable end, that remained standing - that saved him. A great big hole was thought to hold an unexploded bomb: it was cordoned off for safety, but it turned out to be a lump of clay! I remember church services for Civil Defence being held in the Coventry Theatre - the Bishop took one.
I was called up in August 1944, I went into the Ordnance Corps. By the time I'd finished my training the war was nearly over!

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