大象传媒

We lived by Mill Road Hospital, where a land mine hit on 3rd May, 1941. 400 patients were transfered to another hospital. 83 people were killed and 27 injured, including 17 members of staff who were killed and 22 injured. Leonard Findley was the Medical Supervisor who directed the staff although he was wounded himself. Matron Miss Gertrude Riding worked tirelessly to rescue an Auxiliary Nurse and the Chaplain who had been pinned down under the debris, despite her having received an injury to her eye which she later lost. (OBE went to Miss R. George and a medal for Mr. Findlay).

My aunty lived in Melbourne Street and after a bad air raid they were coming out of a shelter and they found a man lying in the road who appeared to have lost one of his legs. The women were all panicking, trying to get him first aid and an ambulance. On looking closer, the man was drunk and one leg had gone down the coal cellar which the lid had blown off. You can imagine the roasting he got.

My mother used to get two cream crackers, put thick custard in between and that was your custard slice, after having dried eye for your tea.

Another time, I was sitting under the stairs with my mother and my sister Iris, who was five (Dad was in the army). A bomb blast shook the whole house and all the soot came down the chimney. When the 'all clear' went and the lights came on, we were like the black and white minstrels covered in soot.

The girls going to the Grafton would run into our shelter in their long dresses until the 'all clear' went. I thought their dresses were just lovely.

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