大象传媒

This happened in 1943 when I was a 7 year old child.

I remember the siren going as I came out of school around 4 o'clock and a bomb came down and hit a house about 100 yards behind me. I dived under the pavement and dust and smoke billowed from the house, which was completely destroyed.

When the dust had cleared there was nothing left - just a staircase - I pegged as fast as I could, I was very frightened and wanted to get away.

Although there were lots of bombs, people still seemed to be happier then than there are now. The pubs were always full with people, mostly servicemen from the Navy and the also Canada. They would be singing and having fun round the piano.

Our teacher told us to be careful in the playground, because the German planes were notorious for dropping what looked like innocent fountain-pens and toys. Infact they were actually explosive devices, designed to trick us. The local policemen had to be called into deal with the matter.

I used to pinch apples from an orchard in Lancing, which I would then pass onto the Italian and German POW who were working in the fields (which is now Lancing Park) digging potatos. Although there were English soliders with guns guarding them - they didn't seem to mind me passing food to the prisoners, as I was only a small boy and the POWs needed feeding up. From my experience they were all very friendly, and none of them had wanted a war in the first place.

During the war the well known bright red Brighton buses were converted to gas, as the petrol was needed for the planes.

When the war ended I remember queuing for hours in Lancing High Street to get sweets, which we hadn't be able to get during the war. After a while though the novelty wore off, but chocolate and bananas still fascinated me.

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