大象传媒

This contribution to 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War website was provided to Beah a volunteer Story Gatherer from 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk Action Desk at the event attended by the Norwich, Norfolk and Suffolk Pensioner鈥檚 Association. The story had been written and submitted to the website with the permission and on the behalf of Brenda Dawson.

I was born in 1932 in Norwich. September 3rd 1939 changed all our young lives, war was declared with Germany. Ration books, gas masks and identity cards, air raid shelters-the lot. But oh what fun we children had if there was an air raid, no school till 10 o clock, but April 27th 1942 changed that. It was a Monday night a lovely moon and very bright, a horrendous week followed; first the siren then the crash warning and then the bombs. The school where I went, St Augustines, was bombed. We thought it was perfect, no proper school till September but we had to go to a sort of hut and get a 1/3 pint of milk, book to read and marked in the register because some of our friends were killed; they were laid to rest in the garden of remembrance in Norwich Cemetery. It was a dreadful night, bombs everywhere; I was told later that a third of Norwich was destroyed that week. Tuesday was a quiet day, just a few planes but nothing much. But come Wednesday, back they came again, this time it was Fire Curls Department Store in Orford Place that suffered a direct hit, the sky was a blaze of colour. Thursday, again not much but come Friday they were back again. This time they followed the river and hit the old city station around Oak Street. It was children like me and especially the boys who used to collect shrapnel, polish it up-what a game. Later that year the late Duke of Kent came to visit the Dereham Road area of Norwich to see the bomb damage and my nanny and I actually spoke to him.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.