大象传媒

On the evening of 6th September 1940,whilst my mother was preparing 'Butties' for my Fathers 'snapping' in readiness for his night shift at Courtauls Flint, she told him that she was 'not happy' about staying at our home that night, and would prefer that both her and myself spent the night at my Grandmother's, which was only a short distance away from our home. During the war we had been issued with a 'Steel Table Shelter' which did offer some protection against possible enemy bombing, but I am unable to recall whether it was available at that particular time. However there was, quite close to my Grandmother's home an Air Raid Shelter which would have offerd far better protection in the event of an air raid, perhaps this may have been the reason for sleeping over at my Grandmother's.

Quite soon after arriving at my Grandmother's home I went to bed, and presumably was fast asleep almost immediately. The next thing I seem to remember was being awakened by my mother and swiftly taken downstairs, I also recall at that time hearing the sirens. As we were about to make our way to the Air Raid Shelter there was a series of loud explosions and as I can vividly recall that at this point in time being dragged back into the house and my mother screaming out that 'our house had been hit'she promptly left me with my Grandmother and Aunt and ran back to our home.

Records now indicate that at 0055am on the morning of 7th September 1940 4 HE on Tyddyn Mesham district of Bagillt(that is where my home was located) had caused serious damage by demolishing one house and badly damaging six others, one of the six houses was my home,

When my mother eventually returned to my Grandmother's she, and others in the neigbourhood had been advise, by the authorities, that we could not return to our homes untill they had been inspected. I cannot be sure of the time, but it was proberbly late afternoon before we were allowed back in our homes. The front of the house which had sustained bomb blast had blown out all of the windows and left glass and debris all over my bed, but the most frightening of all was the large piece of shrapnel which had embedded itself into the wall just a few inches above my headboard.

To conclude, here are a few statistics from my father's diary which he entered in 1940.

Bomb Damage Repairs ( Bombed Sept 7th 1940)

By Myself

All outside around windows, Brickwork over Front Door Replaced, Plastering etc Sitting Room, Small Bedroom, Front Bedroom, Hall, over door about 1 1/2 yds, under Kitchen Window, Front Bedroom Fireplace reset, ditto Back Bedroom.
Plasterer engaged for New Ceiling, repairs to Landing & Bathroom ceilings ( New ceiling back bedroom) Front Door Refixed, ditto Back Door. My fathers entry concludes as follows, Received the sum of 拢19.10.0 repairs carried out 9th July 1941, Claim to be made for Decoration when done,.Damage Accessed at 拢25.15.0 House, 拢4.16.3 Houshold Goods.

(T.O.L)

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