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SPORTS DAY UNDER A DOG FIGHT:

Early part of the war. I was 10 when the war started. It was Beckenham Dartry House School, they were bombing day and night. It was sports day in the summer term and I was worried I might not get to crawl under the net as art f the obstacle course because they were all looking up at the planes coming in and zooming around. It was a dogfight between the spitfires, which were our fighter planes, and Mesherschmitts, I should think.

The sports day went on — I didn’t win any cups, as usual.

THE “PHONEY” WAR

In the first part of the war, it was called the “Phoney War” because life went on as usual. We didn’t know what to expect. Some of the older ones were walking around with gas masks; ready, watching the top of red pillar-boxes, which were painted with a special paint that would turn green if there was any poisonous gas around. I was so frightened then, it was just exciting really.

WHAT TO DO WITH A HORSE DURING AN AIR RAID:

I came home to find a horse in the garage. There had been an air raid and the milkman had asked my mother if he could leave the horse because horses get very worried about the noise of the “flack” (gunfire) — “zzzzzzzzzzzz ck ck ck” — It was way up high. I thought it was lovely and brought him food and water. He was collected later to go and deliver milk.

SHRAPNEL ON THE GOLF COURSE:

We were near a golf course which was a great place to go and pick up shrapnel, I don’t know, they might have been just shooting off their bullets before they went home. We were quite near Biggin Hill in air miles, which was an active air force base for this time. Everybody collected shrapnel. One of my cousins picked up a “bread basket” which is part of ammunition equipment. I was annoyed that I hadn’t found it. There was a bit of competition going on with my cousins who lived next door, who would pick up the most and best shrapnel.

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