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This story is submitted by the British Schools Museum, Hitchin on behalf of Mr. Whitworth and with his permission.

My father Percy Alfred Wood had a brother John and two sisters Beryl Eileen and Esme Olive Wood. Uncle John married and lived in Watton Road, Knebworth, Hertfordshire.

Beryl married Robert Gabriel Warner who was a Royal Naval Engineer serving in destroyers and submarines in the war. Robert had been born in France and spoke fluent French. As a result, when the Royal Navy seized the French Fleet to prevent it falling into German hands, Robert was needed to read the signs and notices on one of the vessels.

Esme married Charles Edwin Whitworth and lived in Oakfields Avenue, Knebworth, Hertfordshire. Charles Whitworth had graduated from the London School of Economics specialising in Transport Studies. He also spoke German, French and Italian, and had travelled widely in Europe before the war. He worked for British Railways and eventually became assistant general manager for the then Eastern Region. During the war, he was seconded to the Special Operations Executive, and was a special Constable in Knebworth.

Beryl and Esme were both teachers. Beryl taught at St. Nicholas School in Stevenage next to the then Alleyn's Grammar School. Esme taught at Hitchin Girls Grammar School where she had been a pupil. She also was active in the local Girl Guide movement.

I am afraid that the only records I have of my mother and her family are a few photographs and her wedding certificate. She married Percy at the Parish Church in West Ham, London on 22nd June 1935 by which time Percy had joined the Metropolitan Police becoming a sergeant. His love of cars and motor cycles led to him being seconded into the newly formed flying squad.

Then Percy, my father, volunteered to join the Royal Air Force when war was declared and became a navigator in bomber command mostly in Lancasters from a base in Lincolnshire.

When I was born, my parents were living in Catford, London. Dad went to Canada for his RAF training being based near Lake Ontario with training flights over the Great Lakes. Each recruit practiced piloting, navigation, gunnery and wireless operation.

Dad being 26 was deemed too old to be a pilot and became a navigator. He lived with a family called Drummond who he visited after the war. At the time, on completion of the training, he had to leave at night without saying goodbye and board a train out in the countryside for transport to a troopship. These precautions were due to the fact that the Germans had infiltrated fifth columnists into the USA and Canada who were alerting the German submarines operating off the Atlantic coast of North America.

When the London Blitz commenced, my mother and I were evacuated to Seafield Road, Rustington, near Littlehampton, Sussex. On 8th May 1942, bomb-carrying German fighters attacked Rustington with bombs, cannon and machine gun fire. The Friday 15th May 1942 issue of the Littlehampton Gazette records the raid.

Two people were killed. One of them was my mother who died later in hospital. I was badly wounded by shrapnel and I understood later that my life was saved by the Hospital staff including an unknown American Doctor. I still have three large scars on my left leg and thigh.

My mother is buried in Hither Green cemetery, Verdant Lane, London SE6.

With the life expectancy of bomber crews flying regular missions over occupied Europe being very short, Dad agreed with Esme and Charles Whitworth that I should go to live and be brought up by them as Guardians with a view to adoption. I have two letters from The Littlehampton and District Hospital to Esme. The first dated 1st June 1942 from the Matron Sister L. King confirmed that I could leave Hospital on Saturday 6th June 1942. The second dated 16th June is from Mr J. H. Goodwin the Hon Secretary to the Hospital. This was apparently in response to a letter of thanks from Esme although I have never seen that letter.

Dad and his crew survived several tours of duty and took part in flying British prisoners of war home following the Armistice.

The crew were about to be sent to the Far East theatre of war, when the dropping of the atom bombs brought the war with Japan to an end.

My first memories are from living in Oakfields Avenue, Knebworth, in the small bungalow with the rear vegetable garden and apple and plum orchard.

There was a small garage which housed a 1936 E type Morris car which was kept on blocks and under a canvas until the war ended. Much later on, I learned to drive in this car which was rudimentary compared to modern standards of car design. It had a starting handle and semaphore indicators which often stuck forcing hand signals out of the open driver’s window. The dip switch for the headlights was foot operated on the floor and to prevent dazzle through the rear window into the interior driving mirror, the driver pulled a curtain ring attached to string which pulled a roller blind up over the rear window. There were no heaters in the car, and in fog and frost the driver had to wind open the windscreen which hinged upwards and outwards. This provided some degree of forward visibility albeit a cold experience. In those days, passengers used travelling rugs. I recall the car having regular three-monthly services at the then Stevenage Motor Company.

Food rationing was in force and vegetables and fruit came from the garden. Sweet rationing meant that the meagre ration had to last for weeks. As a result, I never developed any great desire for sweets, although I now indulge sometimes. It was towards the end of the war that I recall first seeing oranges, bananas and packaged chicken noodle soup. There were no fridges and milk was boiled to help it keep.

There was no central heating and I remember the blackout curtains and the gas masks ready. During the 1940's the small coal fires had to be properly laid using paper, some kindling and coal. Fire lighters were made from rolled up and folded newspapers. The ashes were taken next day and rolled into the garden path.

The local milk was delivered by horse and cart. The milkman's horse used to kick holes in the gravel road, resulting in many potholes in its surface.

I recall the army convoys led by motor cycle dispatch riders travelling along the Great North Road through Knebworth (now by-passed by the A1(M). The concrete pill box guarding the railway cutting just north of Knebworth Station next to the span bridge, has now been demolished.

During the war, Knebworth Primary School where I started school in 1945 had underground air raid shelters and gardening was part of the curriculum. In the latter 1940's we still took a halfpenny a day for our one third pint of milk which was delivered in crates to the school gates. In the severe winter of 1947, the milk froze forcing the cream out of the tops of the bottles. We had to thaw the milk out on the classroom heating pipes. The toilets were open air brick buildings with limited roofing.

Later in the war the flying bombs came down close to Knebworth and in certain locations the circular former craters can still be seen where the soil texture was disturbed. On one occasion, I dropped a plate of toast I was carrying and sought refuge under the dining room table.

I remember being pushed in the pram by my grandmother through Woolmer Green past what was then a transport cafe where several army half track vehicles had stopped off. We returned to Knebworth and were in a queue at one of the shops in the high street, when the half tracks came round the corner by Barclays Bank. One vehicle took the corner too fast, skidded, over corrected and ploughed into the shopping queue. Several people including Gran were badly injured and my pram was missed by inches. Although her injuries healed, Gran never really got over the accident and nobody was ever prosecuted.

Although VE day was celebrated in Knebworth with flags outside every house, I cannot recall any such celebration of VJ day. I was formally adopted on 7h November 1947 at Hitchin County Court.

After the war, Dad rejoined the Metropolitan Police but found that those like him who had left to fight in the armed forces were overlooked for promotion. He resigned and became a self employed driving instructor. He died in Cornwall in 2000.

I have just retired (2005) following a career as a Chartered Surveyor. My wife Shirley who was born in Hitchin, attended the British School in Hitchin. Her photograph is displayed there in what is now the British Schools Museum — so I am pleased to submit this story through their pages on the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s People’s War website.

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