大象传媒

There was an early Air-Raid Warning at Bristol Aeroplane Company factory in Filton 鈥� Electrical Department. This came to nothing but as we were coming back inside, there came another air-raid warning, the tune playing over the tannoy at this time was 鈥淢arching through Georgia鈥�; this meant that the enemy aircraft were within so many miles radius of the factory. This in turn meant that Manufacturing could continue until the last minute.

The 鈥淐ard School鈥� was in full swing in the air-raid shelter near the escape tube. I climbed up the ladder and looked out at the top; I was based in East Works Electrical Department and could look out through the gap at the top of the air-raid shelter over West Works and Filton Works Airfield. I saw a man running as fast as he could down the main Gloucester Road. I also saw a geyser of soil rise up through the air; it was a bomb explosion; then another, then a third. I quickly dropped down from the hatch and landed on the card game, the cards flew all around; I crouched down in the foetal position.

Later on it was discovered that 16 eight inch 鈥淗E鈥檚鈥� (High Explosives) fell on the company property in 45 seconds; there were also 50 (UXB鈥檚)- unexploded bombs, or (DAB鈥檚) 鈥� delayed action bombs. The Blast hit us and then silence 鈥� deafening silence except for women screaming; there were approximately 50 people in our air-raid shelter.

We moved down to the entrance of the shelter and moved the sack cloth at the entrance; there was a funny smell 鈥� someone shouted gas and then there was panic and a mad rush to put their gas masks on, except many of us did not have one, myself included.

Two men in a building with a 2鈥� steel door were injured by shrapnel, which went through the door! When we looked around, the cars were on fire in South Road.
A company of soldiers were killed as they were making their way past the works because they were not able to take cover when the bombing started, and not allowed to run away either.

I made my way up South Road to where the soldiers were 鈥� it was terrible to see 35 to 40 men slaughtered this way dead on the ground. There was one who was laid there with his hand on his head, with his leg blown off half below the calf on one side with its boot on; he was still alive then and asking for water. I went down to the shelters and collected water from a 鈥渃arboy鈥� and left it there for the man while he was waiting to be taken away.

I tried to make my way down to No. 4 factory but was turned back by the Home Guard, so I then walked between No.1 and No. 2 factories; half way up No.2 one of the big sliding doors were open and I could see a fire in our electrical stores; there were handcarts from the fire department located between the factories, which I wheeled towards the doorway 鈥� ran out the hoses and fitted to the water; but the problem was then, that the water could not be switched on because a 40 to 50 ft. hose would have wriggled all over the place once the water had been switched on and the water going everywhere except where I wanted it to go, so I had to wait until someone else came to help by switching the water on for me. There was not much water as it was, because the mains had been bombed.

You used to be locked in the factory for up to 14 hours and for security, the gate was locked allowing no one in or out. I made my way up to the Heat Treatment works out side No.1 factory to find another water source but there was just a hole, it turned out to be a UXB crater.

Eventually I went home on my bike to Market Square, Fishponds, giving a friend George Rogers a lift home first by piggy back on my bike, then on to Fishponds where my brother, who had got home before me thought I was missing. What a relief!

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