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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Lin Freeman of Radio Derby CSV on behalf of Mrs Jennifer Mary Yale and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

In 1942 I was living with my family — mother, father, elder sister and baby sister at 45, The Ridgeway, Erdington, Birmingham. I was 4 years old and remember vividly the night we were bombed out.

My father being 42 years old was too old for active service in the war so he used to do air-warden duty during air raids.

On the night in question, father was out on duty and we were in bed with mother. The sirens had sounded and as usual we were all apprehensive. I remember hearing screams as the bombs were falling, but my eldest sister who was eight years older than me thinks it was probably the noise of the bombs falling.

My mother told us all to put our heads under the bedclothes. She was remarkably calm considering she thought our death was imminent and I shall always admire her for not panicking.

A bomb landed near enough to blow off our roof and also blow in all our windows. There was glass all over the bed and even the glass in my dolls’ house windows was blown in, but thankfully we were not injured.

We were evacuated to relatives and eventually returned to another house which my father was able to purchase. (I think this house cost £450).

My husband and myself recently returned to look for the old house and found this tiny
middle terrace house looking very smart, painted white with its ‘new’ roof tiled with different slates. Quite remarkable after all these years!

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