大象传媒

I Must start by telling you that at this time Dad was a Plymouth City Policeman.
September 3rd 1939, war was declared I think a lot of people felt a sense of relief and the frenetic pace visibly slowed. Reality dawned especially as within a few hours the air raid sirens sounded. There was a silence and chill. It was a false alarm. Gas masks and steel helmets had to be carried at all times. Air raid shelters were hastily constructed, some had already been built. After the first few weeks the frenzy quietened. 1940 things took a turn for the worse the Germans had completely overrun France and the remnants of our Expeditionary Force escaped across the Channel from Dunkirk.
My brother Don was captured at Dunkirk and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of the Germans, in a prisoner of war camp in Poland. He suffered great depravation, he was repatriated at the end of the war.
The Germans had airfields immediately opposite us across the Channel. Coastal Defences were hastily improved, beaches mined and prohibited areas everywhere. Blackout conditions were rigidly enforced, petrol rationing was introduced and vehicles had to have visors fitted to lights, so that no light was emitted upwards. The Police Force was strenghthened by recruiting War Reserve Constables from middle aged business men mostly, and the First Police Reserve who were not too old returned to assist where possible. Air raid alerts became commonplace and the population became blase about them, because they so rarely resulted in any action. Balloon Barrage sites were erected in all suitable sites, such as parks and open spaces, and manned by the RAF, to prevent low flying aircraft gaining access. There was a huge influx of foreign naval personnell and this created considerable problems, in the Stonehouse area, Union Street in particular. Women and girls from far and wide converged on the areas, and disputes and often personal injury were commonplace, and often by force of circumstance summarily dealt with.
My wife's cousin Bill Barrett was a chief Petty Officer, Writer R.N. He was serving on HMS Hunter, in the North Sea, when he was sunk by a torpedo from a German 'U' boat.He was rescued in the nick of time from the icy seas, by a German Prison ship 'ALTMARK'. and eventually landed in Norway. which was under German occupation, under the Norwegian traitor Quisling.
Afetr some time in captivity Bill managed to escape in the depth of winter, across the border into Sweden, which was neutral. He was accomodated in the British Embassy and worked there for some considerable time before quite unexpectedly we heard that he was in England. He had been secretly flown out to join his family back in Plymouth.
1940 was a momentous year, my romance flourished, becomming engaged at Easter.
Sporadic bombing took place over the city, it was thought by planes whose destinations were further North, in the industrial areas of Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester etc, etc, but who for some reason or other decided to jettison their load over Plymouth , wither on the way out or on the return journey, it meant Plymouth had twice the Alerts and disruption nuisance.
The U boat menace continued to exert great pressure on our supplies and rationing squeezed ever more tightly.
Marjorie's mother and father applied for an Anderson Air Raid Shelter and together we dug a hole at the bottom of the garden, in which to erect it. The shelter was constructed of sheets of T shaped galvanised steel, bolted together at the top and sides of each sheet. One end was filled in and the other had a small opening for entry. Earth was piled up all around it to absorb blast. It was only used on rare occasions, it being so cold and damp, and the uncertainty when an alert waas sounded as to how serious it was.Most people ignored the sirens until they heard the sound of a bomb blast.
1941 War reserve constables, mostly local business men volunteered with a view to escaping being drafted to the coal mines or other National Duty, and to enable them to keep an eye on their business.
Bill Medland, Corn & Seed Merchant, Flora Street. Charlie Searle, Furniture, Household goods shop Cecil Street. Jack Jones, Fishmonger, Fruiterer, Union Street.Fred Uncles, Chief clerk, James & Rosewall Builders Merchants, Octagon St/ Rendle St.Willoughby Iron Foundry, manhole covers and drain gratings. Bill Gilbard, Dairy Edgecumbe St, destroyed and carried on in Nissan hut, same site. Charlie Joce, Plumber, Cecil St.
At this time I proposed to Marjorie and she accepted.
Time was of the essence, it was generally accepted that men of my age would eventually be conscripted into the Armed Forces, the general criterion being if and when the threat of invasion had passed. As there had been no direct follow up after securing the occupation of mainland Europe, and the fact that Germans had not been able to obtain air superiority.Invasion prospects were receding every month that passed.
The educated guess was that men of about my age, and younger in the Poice Service would be enlisted sometime in 1942.
We were married at Stoke Damarel Parish Church on 4th June 1941.
Plymouth's turn to be blitzed, all police were ordered to report for duty, a syptom of hopelessness of the situation, nobody knew what to expect, or indeed what to do. It was a question of playing it by ear. The first night of the 'Blitz' destroyed the whole of the city centre. Fire Brigades from all over the country were ordered to PLymouth. I remember seeing an engine & crews from Ipswich, on the second night, who had driven for 12 hours, only to find thye city destroyed, and there was no water, The heat generated was unbelievable, creating a fire storm of near hurricane force, which swept the flames like a gigantic blow torch, to consume everything in it's path, aided continuosly by high explosive bombs, and further incendary bombs. The bombing continued for a third night moving systematically through Stonehouse to Devonport and achieving the same awful destruction. There was a complete breakdown of all services, Gas Water & Electricity. No means of communication, except by messenger. I remeber one occasion on the 2nd night, the Deputy Chief Constable, Chief Supt Hingston, arrived at the Octagon Station, having walked from HQ he wanted a message taking to Supt Stroud at our Division HQ at Ker St Police Station, and told me to get a pedal cycle. and take the message, in a sealed envelope. I got a pedal cycle and set off, the route lay through Union St, and it was impossible to ride with burning buildings on both sides, debris from bomb damaged buildings, and the stench from burning debris from collapsed buildings etc. I reached Stonhouse Bridge , the far end of which crossed over the railway line, where it had received a direct hit from high explosive, and had collapsed. A narrow footway remained intact, hugh fires were raging just below, on the side of Stonehouse Creek where Fox Elliots Timber yard, Richmond Walk, was burning in common with assorted buildings in the vicinity. I eventually made it to Ker St Station, and delivered the message, there was no reply. I made it back to the Octagon as dawn was breaking.Statistics re casualties, damage etc would be compiled later, but could only be estimated.Nobody could deal with such chaos accurately. A further three nights of Blitz followed in April, in an attempt to destroy anything which might have survived.On one such night I was with Sgt Chalky White an 'Alert' was on, we just reached Wyndham square, in the centre of which was St Peters Roman Catholic Church, when we heard the screech of a bomb descending, we both dived for cover behind a low stone wall, of a front garden, on looking up incendary bombs were burning all around, in the roadway, and the roof of the church was alight. We entered the church and found the roof timber alight , a small stirrup type pump to the roof space was useless, so we decided to save what valuables we could. We removed all the Altar ornaments, and were then joined by the priest, whose house was opposite the church. We managed to remove a couple of oil paintings from the walls, before being compelled to leave.The interior was completely destroyed. After the war it was rebuilt.
We then refelcted on what happened to the bomb we heard coming down, and recollected that ' it hadn't gone off'. We walked around the square where it appeared the rest of the incendaries had fallen, on open ground, and were left to burn out. On turning into Wolsden St, we found a badly damaged terraced house, but not consistent with an explosion. All the residents of the street were taking cover in surface shelters, and we tarced the occupier of the house, which had been hit. We suspected an unexploded bobm, and requested the residents of the cul de sac to keep away. A special constable was posted, and machinery set in motion to alert ' Bomb Disposal'. I believe it was several days later that 'Bomb Disposal' confirmed an unexplode bomb of 1,000lb calibre. The house had to be demolished, but the bomb was safely removed.Another unexploded bomb was later discovered in Victoria Park,not far from Wolsden St, attempts to recover it went on for months, and were subsequently abandoned after digging 50 ft deep. The park was made by infilling what was previously part of Stonehouse Creek, and the bomb sank deeper and deeper in mud. It has never exploded.
There are further stories to tell from Dad's book and I will add these soon.

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