大象传媒

1944 VI鈥檚 Flying Bombs Doodle Bugs
As well as weekly fire watching at work I did the same at home. On Tuesday june 13th around 10:30pm, I met my opposite number at the end of the road and we watched anxiously as a small plane flew in and out of the clouds and appeared to be on fire. We hoped the crew had baled out and heard it crash some distance away,. Next day we learned we had seen the first flying bomb. One day I was quing outside sa sweet shop in Aldwych to spend some of my ration couplons when we heard the damiliar throb of a VI and we all crowded into the very tiny shop even behind the counter. When it had passed we emerged and took up our former places in the queue.

June 30th Friday 1944

I was crossing Trafalgar Square as a VI flew up Whitehall towards me. I got ready to lie flat , it passed over but gave me a headache when it fell in the Tottenham Court Road area. It was 1pm when I returned to the office and the boss being at lunch I went to chat with the 2 girls in her room, which was on the corner of Aldwych and Kingsway. About 1:15pm I saw the flash of an explosion mirrored the eyes of the girl sitting opposite, then I was in a thick black fog, but could just see a line of tiny gas jets across the desk in front of me. I put them out with my bare hands. As the fog cleared I saw a girl lying on the floor but could not lift her. She had been screaming with panic until I said that is was 鈥楢ll right; it鈥檚 all over now.鈥� I saw no damage at all as I walked out and joined a crowd walking downstairs, each one holding a handkerchief to the head, so I did the same,and found blood. There were 79 steps to the ground floor; I left by the main door and believe I walked over the body of the doorman, lying under one of the massive front doors. Outside a pliceman was coming towards me holding his cap and trying to remove all the dust on his uniform. He pointed across to Bush house and said 鈥楩irst aid over there.鈥� I did not know I needed first aid but I went, and stumbled on a brick in the middle of the road. I still saw no damage until I had to climb over a collapsed revolving door and broken glss. A woman then took my arm and down another flight of steps towards the first aid basement in Bush House, but as we turned a corner I could walk no more.I lookeddown at my feet and saw that my beige socks were birght red. Two messengers came running towards me, I put my arms across their shoulders and they half carried me along, as I realised that my right foot was hanging sideways. There was no pain. I was placed on a chair to await attention and saw a red pool collecting round my feet, so I got down and sat on the flor. The milkman beside mehad been deliversing to Adastral, he said he must get back to his float (which must have disappeared) but he did not know that a slice ofskin had been removed above his ear, it was the size of half a crown. A young woman came for my nameand address. I mouthed the words but no sound came until she shook my shoulder, then I tied my tiny handkerchief round the wide gash in my leg to hold it together. I was soon stretchered up to a tine jeep-like vehicle and taken to the clearing station at the Adelphi, where male medical students, too young for call up鈥滱re you going to see to my legs?鈥� He had not thought to raise the blanket which covered them. When he did, he rased to collect the other students and they warched as he pulled my leg bones into position. I still felt no pain although I pretended that it hurt! Then I was whisked off to another tiny ambulance and the porter put a jelly baby in my mouth. As we were about to drive off, shouts made us wait and an Air Force officer was loaded in. He had abdominal injuries. There was only just enough room for the two of us. I asked him the time 鈥� he looked at his watch and said 鈥淭en past two鈥�. We were both fully conscious. On arrival at St. George鈥檚 Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, we were given numbers and our injuries described to medical staff. I was admitted to a large ward and needed a bed apn just as 2 male orderlies arrived with a stretcher trolley. There was no privacy, no time for screens. The 鈥榦perating theatre鈥� was the huge basement. As I was wheeled down a ramp from the lift, I looked all round and saw stretcher trolleys separated from each other by moveable screens. When I came to rest a surgeon stoof at my feet holding a large wet sponge. I looked through a gap in the screens at a nurse packing aholde in the side of a patient adjacent and the surgeon said 鈥淒on鈥檛 be nosey鈥� I replied but I鈥檝e never been in a place like this before鈥� as I looked at the single light bulsbs everywhere, one only over each patient, Then I received an injection and slept. That evening I awoke believing I was curled up in a tight ball with knees under my chin. I felt for but could not find them and cried because I was so cold. A nurse brought a hot water bottle she placed at my back and assured me I still had my legs. Later, sister asked if I would like to be evacuated; it would be either to Wales or Slough. About 10pm. I was stretchered out and along with others, laid on the pavement. My shoes and clothes were also on the stretcher. A couple passing Privates asked my if I was ok. I assured them I was. We were loaded into a converted Green Line bus, and I drifted in and out of consciousness as we travelled to slough. That midnight the Almoner arrived and asked if I was wearing my own nightdress!! I wanted to tell her that I was not in the habit of carrying my nightie around in case I got bombed, but I just said no. Some of the injured were from Peabody Buildings in the poorer part of London, many suffering from shock. One small, dumpy 90 year old was the life and soul of the ward. I think we were all bomb happy. After 2 weeks in hospital I went by train to Yorkshire to convalesce in Easingwold, where my uncle was the Postmaster. For the first time I saw my face in a mirror and it was bright yellpw, like my hands. Not sure if it was penicillin or acriflavine, but think the former because tiny beards had grown on all the cuts on hands and face. My hair was still full of grit and powdered glass, much embedded in my scalp ( I still get a bit coming out of the skin). After the leg plaster and other bandages had been renewed twice I got really mobile.
Every afternoon I sat on a seat on the village green and using rug wool, knitted soles for slippers. My aunt kniteed the uppers and we sold them in aid of Forces comforts. They sold lie hot cakes because no one could spare clothing coupons for slippers. Rug wool was the only wool available without coupons. Soldiers billeted in the village sat and talked with me and I was known as The Doodlebugger, but in a nice way.

I helped my aunt in a small farm shop where trade increased dramatically. People wanted to see a real bomb victim from London, with a leg still in plaster. After 3 months, York hospital signed me off and I travelled back to London in a train jam packed with miscellaneous troops. I sat on my upturned suitcase in the corridor, there were 6 unrationed eggs among the clothes. A sailor stood astride my knees all the way to London and we never spoke!

The rockets began in late October 1944, I think, and these scared me more than anything else because we had no warning. One landed on the railway line very near Palmer鈥檚 Green station, ten minutes walk away. The houses rocked and a piece of railway line went through the roof. It was not until November 1944 that I dared go to my usual hair dresser and asked her to work gently. My head was still tender. She apologised for being unable to get a straightparting (those were the days!)because of the ridge on my head. Until that moment I did not know that I must have been hit on the head which must have accounted for the absence of pain for the first 3 days following injuries.

VE Days

On May4th 1945 the buzz went round the Air Ministry that the war was over. We all collected piles of unused forms and went up on to the roof (about the 8th floor) where we tore the forms to shreds and showered them in to the Aldrych. The road sweeper below with his little barrow worked even faster until he eventually looked up in amazement鈥ffices and shops had followed our lead and the air everywhere was filled with large confetti and even toilet rolls adorning trees. Then we remembered that the war in the Far East was far from over and realised that we neede all the forms we had destroyed! 大象传媒 then became really hectic until VJ day , but we received our 2 days off that May 8th and 9th.

On VE day May 8th a friend and I joined that happy multitude around Whitehall. When in St. James Park we heard a room from Whitehall and know that Churchill was on his way to the Palace. We ran and saw him in his car. Then we had to return home and battled our way up the Strand, against the crowds all going towards the Mall. The road was thronged with people and traffic could not move. Three young loads 鈥� too young for call-up, lifted the back of a car by its bumper, the driver merely turned round and grinned and the boys dropped it. There was no vandalism anywhere, just high spirits in which everyone joined.

Some time later I bought the official photograph of the 鈥榠ncident鈥� and realised that all the windows in Adastral House had been blown in and all those in Bush House sucked out words. I am still amazed to remember that I saw non of the damage in my office, where an inner wall had collapsed, or in the road, which appeared devoid of people and traffic or any debris when I crossed it.

Like thousands of others, the effects of the various injuries become more of a problem as age takes its toll and the occasional sound of an air raid siren still makes me go tense. One never forgets.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Daphne Ibbott and has been added to the site with his permission. Daphne Ibbott fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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