大象传媒

Arthur was living in Bristol when the War started in 1939 and at 17 years of age was too young to join The Air Force, his boyhood dream. Instead he had to wait until he was called up at 18.

While waiting for his chance of excitement, he worked for Bristol Gas Company repairing gas mains. This was dangerous work, but during a war it was even more so. However being young and enthusiastic Arthur took up the challenge with relish.

One icy evening in November 1940 Arthur was at work when the sirens sounded and a bombing raid began. He was told a major gas main had been hit in South Street, Bedminster and most of the street was alight. The flames were 30 ft high and there were fears of many casualties. Bodies had been seen lying in the street. His job was to get to the mains and stop gas escaping.

Young Arthur jumped into a lorry and set off with a mate from Maudlin Street Gas Depot to South Street Bedminster. The lorry was laden with pipes, valves, canvas balloons and drills. The drills were to be used on the gas main. (A hole would be drilled and canvas balloons inserted in the pipe, to cut off the gas supply to the main gas pipe).

The 2 man crew drove through the centre of Bristol from Rupert Street and on entering Prince Street were confronted by total devastation as the Royal Oak Public House blew up in front of them. Debris, stones, bits of wood and concrete rained down on the lorry but fortunately neither Arthur nor his mate were hurt. However, the road was completely blocked and another route had to be found to South Street. Retracing their journey the 2 men found themselves back in the Centre of Bristol and in the icy conditions their vehicle skidded on the road, spinning twice but suprisingly remaining on course.

Eventually the two men arrived in South Street, Bedminster to find flames were burning high into the air, lighting up the Bristol skyline. Already other gas and firemen had arrived trying to stop the seepage of gas.

As Arthur looked at the devastation he was amazed to see some men holding frying pans over the holes in the road cooking sausages with the aid of escaping gas. An incredible sight but many things were incredible at that time.

Arthur started unloading his lorry only to hear the sirens starting again, another air raid was beginning. Hastily the gasmen ran to the bomb shelter at South Street School and stayed there the rest of the night. When the 'All Clear' sounded they emerged into a twilight world.

Arthur found his lorry was missing and later discovered it had been used by the Ambulance Service to take the dead and injured from the site.

The Press at the time was censored and not allowed to report the night's events. The headline in the 'Evening Post' read "Big Night Raid on West Town - Churches, Schools and Homes Hit." No details or names were given. One paragraph read "A number of casualties were feared, indiscriminate bombing resulted in damage in several parts of the town last night. Although no particulars were available early this morning it was stated that the casualties were comparatively few."

Bristolians suffered heavily during the Blitz and Arthur's story is just one of hundreds that could be related.

He did however leave Bristol the following year and joined the 14th Army (Tank Transporter Company) serving in India and Burma. He found himself driving unwieldy vehicles over roads that were little more than tracks and coaxing heavy tanks and transporters across gorges with flimsy bridges. There are plenty more stories to be told about that and I hope to tell some of them later.

He's my dad still sprightly at 82 and I'm very proud of him

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