大象传媒

My first memory of 鈥渢he War鈥� was sitting in the kitchen of our home in Lancashire and hearing Neville Chamberlain鈥檚 dry voice announcing that consequently we are at war with Germany. My father just said, 鈥� twenty years, just twenty years As a child of 5 the war had little impact until rationing came in and a fresh egg was a super luxury. I spent many hours mortally afraid of the Germans coming and I was terrified in 1940 June when coming down stairs I saw rifles and equipment stacked in the hallstand! I discovered that they were indeed British troops recently evacuated from Dunkirk. They were utterly weary and filthy but full of guts. They were from the Royal West Kent鈥檚. One young soldier gave me a cap badge with white horse of Kent on it, sadly lost.
Later in the war my Dad took me up unto the hills and pointed out Liverpool burning and Manchester and Sheffield also. My brother was in the RAF and was listed as missing in France and turned up having had a horrendous escape with a marine on a motorcycle and got they last boat for St Nazaire. Later in the war still I was with my Dad out for a walk again and to my surprise he picked me up and threw me into a gorse bush and followed me! I distinctly saw little spurts of sand along the Path it was a Nazi bomber being chased by a RAF fighter and was successfully shot down. We went down to the smoke and as my Father was well known and the police explained we could not get any nearer as the fire was still blazing My Dad reached into the hedge and picked a piece of metal and gave it to me 鈥� it was still warm to the touch! In 1944 Dad took me to a concert at RAF Burtonwood, which was a US bomber group airfield> The concert was by the Famous AAF band led by Glen Miller! I was given some American candy by
An American Air force Colonel. My last and important memory is waking up at night and seeing huge Tanks and Artillery outside the house with men with blacked up faces and 鈥淕erman鈥� helmets! Wow the Germans had arrived! My Dad reassured me that they were American and Black Americans who were very tall very gentle sweet guys who plied me with sweets My very last experience was standing waiting with my Dad to see Winnie I saw him and I feel he looked right into my eyes from six feet away Victory came and our very quiet road had a dance with unheard of Fairy lights and I wore out my shoes much to my Mums disgust!

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