大象传媒

MY STORY BY ARTHUR BAX and typed in by Vicky Lapworth

Arthur鈥檚 memories of the day war broke out and of the evacuation on 2nd June 1940 have already been recounted elsewhere 鈥� they are wonderful vignettes of those parts of Westgate鈥檚 history! Here is an abridged version of the rest of his story.

鈥淲e were based in the village of Colton near Rugeley. Life in Staffordshire was very different from what we were used to. A coal miner lived across the lane from our billet and one day a ton of free coal was tipped onto the road and left. We were roped in to help move it behind the miner鈥檚 cottage 鈥� then we could have our tea! After school one of my jobs was to collect milk from the local farm. It was really fresh 鈥� but was it skimmed, semi-skimmed or full cream etc? Neither 鈥� it was just MILK!

At the end of the summer term (1940) I returned home to Thanet. All the council Schools had been evacuated, but the Rev Sharp of Birchington opened a school and with the aid of some willing helpers, gathered the stray remaining youngsters into some effort at education. I attended at a cost of 6d a week (2陆p). Woodford House School in Station Road was still in operation and my parents scraped together the 拢5 5s 0d fee per term for me and I started there late in 1940 or early 1941. The school had a great atmosphere. The pupils ( about 50) came from all over Thanet and from many backgrounds. The ex-Council School pupils were ahead in some subjects and behind in others. The Headmaster, Mr Hodges, and his wife were tremendous patriots and I am sure they were determined to ensure our education, as their war effort. Being late for school due to 鈥渆nemy action鈥� was frowned upon, as letting the Hun upset our routine!

Mr Hodges was Scoutmaster of the Woodford House Troop and encouraged us to assist the war effort. Some of the older boys helped with installing Anderson and Morrison shelters and we all
practised message running and concealment.

My father drove the laundry van 鈥� probably the only one in Westgate鈥� it was requisitioned by the Army and dad had to resort to a horse and wagon.

There was much aircraft activity and many air raid warnings. The Westgate AFS was using London style taxis with a ladder on the roof and towing a trailer and fire-pump. These units were kept at Jackson鈥檚 Garage in Station Road Westgate and when the air raid warning went they dispersed to different locations around the town, then returned to Jackson鈥檚 when the all clear sounded.

My father being an air raid warden used to finish his normal day鈥檚 work then spend 2 hours manning the warden鈥檚 post in the town. I often accompanied him because part of his duty was to sound the air raid siren when required. It took 3 movements 鈥� master switch on 鈥� select warning or ALL CLEAR and then START. I thought it was a great responsibility. The warning of shelling from France was to sound the air raid warning twice. In the cinema a normal air raid warning would be announced by a message flashed up on the screen (and most people stayed put). In the case of shelling, the cinema had to be emptied. Often the all clear would not sound for hours, in fact not until after the cinema鈥檚 closing time. It could take a week to see the film right through!

We lived in a redundant laundry in Elm Grove and from 1940 it had been an RAF store with many aircraft parts. With the pinpointing of local targets, my parents decided it was time to move 鈥� there had already been bombs dropped behind us and in the garden next door. We then moved to a bungalow just off Linksfield Road with a clear view across fields and roof tops to the Thames estuary. We could see convoys sailing by and the escort barrage balloons shot down.

Working in Walker鈥檚 Garage one Sunday in late 1944, my mate and I heard a great droning noise and looking up saw a sky full of big aircraft some towing gliders. There were hundreds of them. We learned later they were bound for Arnhem.

Sixty plus years is quite a long way back to remember 鈥� I wonder how our parents managed, for, apart from shortages etc we youngsters were in constant danger. Yet we were going about our normal lives unaccompanied. We were trusted to take cover when necessary and especially in the black-out be very careful as we rode our bicycles with almost no lights 鈥� this among Army convoys of lorries and tanks, also with very little lighting. Our movements were not generally restricted (except for the sea front) and it was up to us not to play with the interesting but mysterious objects we found.

Our parents had the added worry about elder brothers, uncles etc being in the Services. The sight of a telegram boy spread apprehension. Thankfully the telegram鈥檚 appearance usually announced the relative鈥檚 imminent arrival home on leave. One of Arthur鈥檚 older brothers Sid was killed in May 1940, whilst serving with the Fleet Air Arm on HMS Hermes. The tree that Sid planted outside their home in Elm Grove is still there and greatly treasured by Arthur.

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