大象传媒

I would also listen to the B.B.C World Service avidly taking in the reports of the progress of the war and I particularly remember hearing the signature tune, Lillie BNallero, which is still played today - with variations. As soon as Victory was announced my mother took the map down before I could protest and she threw it away. I remember being very cross as I thought my father would have liked to have seen what I had been up to whilst he was away. Apart from that it would have been invaluable as a reference aid. My mother and her friend took we children and some of our own friends up to London to take part in the celebrations on V.E. day. It wes so exciting and a bit frightening as one could hardly move among the crowds congregating and heading towards Buckingham Palace. There were many nationalities representing the services including some Free French sailors and some very dashing naval officers of the Indian navy. They were Sikhs and looked like well dressed pirates with their white turbans. Of course, one of my friends and I did get separated but in due course headed for Waterloo Station where we discovered there were no trains heading for Surbiton - the last one had gone! But there was one for Kingston-on-Thames so we got on it, intending to walk from there home. That was probably about 6 miles. By this time it was about 3 a.m. and I was a bit worried about what my mother was thinking. I was pretty sure she would have eventually made for home and she would know that I would do my best to get home or get word to her. As we did not have a telephone at home this presented a difficulty but I was confident that she would not be too concerned. I was fifteen by that time and was trusted to be quite sensible. Arriving at Kingston we started our walk home. We had to pass the Police Station so I decided to go in and say that we were walking home. Was it possible for them to get word to my mother that we were safe and on our way? However, they did better than that. The Police took us to my home in a Black Maria van and cautioned us not to say anything. My mother wasn't a bit fazed. She took it all very calmly.

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