大象传媒

My first recollection was in 1934. My older brother and msyelf used to cycle to 'East Lane' between Bawdsey and Shingle Street for sea fishing days out, mostly on Sunday. On this occasion it must have been September of early November. We had been fishing for about an hour when we noticed a man aged between thirty-five and forty approaching and he sat down high up the beach. I thought he was watching us.

We were catching one or two fish, and he eventually walked down the beach and said Good Morning in a very gentlemanly voice. He was well-dressed in tweed suit. He was first interested in our fishing method and then he said, what was that light flashing there. We said, that's Orford Light House. Oh, he said, that's Orford, is it? He wanted to know more about Orford but we said we'd never been there so didn't know. He then wanted to know how deep the water was was there, etc, and then said he had passed a beautiful big house and he pointed to our right. We said, oh you mean Bawdsey Manor. He wanted to know who lived there, and we said it was the residence of Sir Cuthbert Quilton. He also wanted to know where the river joined the sea, also about the river Deben, and went on about other things, and how lucky we were to live in such a lovely area. Then he said, do you know where we are standing is the closest direct distance to Germany?

We said, is that so? and off we went. Of course the war hadn't started then so we no idea we were probably talking to a German spy.

I was twenty two years old and working at Watisham Airdrome when Dunkirk was evacuated. Just a few of us left to finish the ....off. When some were ordered to go to Landguard Fort to fortify the beach with huge concrete blocks, as a fully experienced carpenter I was put in a charge of a gang of men, or anybody who could use a hammer. About thirty of us constructed and assembled the concrete bases. Some of them are still standing, I think, between Landguard Point and Felixstowe promenade. We also made Pill Boxes for the first line of defence.

It was one morning about miday whilst at Languard that we observed a sea plane flying in, very low, from the water. It was about fifty feet high, landing at the entrance of Harwich Harbour instead of Felixstowe. That was about a quarter of a mile from us, so we didn't take much interest, although we thought there was something wrong with it. After about five minutes it took off again, flying out to sea, still about fifty feet high, and we saw that it had the German markings on its fuselage.

We were wondering why the soldiers had not fired at it from Landguard Fort. Others must have seen it because fifteen minutes later three fighters from Martlesham were flying about ten thousand feet above looking for it. We watched it disappear into the distance out of sight but the fighters were still circling overhead.

I spoke later to an oficer from the Fort about it. He said the Commanding Officer was at a meeting at Harwich and we were not to mention it to anyone. It wasn't until the next day that we were told the H.M.S. Gypsy hitting a mine just where we had seen the German plane settled down. Of course we had no idea he was laying mines. I often wonder why they hadn't checked the area before sailing.

I am now ninety, and these are just samples of my experiences of the war.

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