大象传媒

This contribution to WW2 People's War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk. The story has been written by Anthony John Ward and has been submitted to the site with the permission and on behalf of Mr.A J Ward. He fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

Bombs and Bicycles

None of us really knew what to expect that bright summer morning of 1940. We had passed our ' eleven plus' and were cycling towards ' the 'Redcap School' as it was called then. On our way we passed pillar-boxes ( post boxes) with their tops covered with dirty brown paint. The theory was that if the enemy sprayed 'mustard gas' over the city the paint would change colour. Unfortunately no one had told us what colour, so by the time you had found out you would probably be dead anyway! A few of us had uncles whom had been gassed in the first World War; those who survived this were never the same again. ' Mustard' blistered; it wounded horrible, it was horrible.

When ' Wailing Winnie' the air raid siren called we were all ushered into shelters dug into the school grounds; we waited and waited until the long steady ' all clear' informed us that it was time to get back to classes. These false alarms went on until we became quite nonchalant: perhaps nothing would ever happen? The whole streets were demolished, night after night we huddled in the damp 'Anderson' shelter until yet again all assumed that it as not going to happen to me; some slept right through the raids. Raid followed raid; harmless little churches were demolished, factories became burnt out shells, but each morning you got on your bike with your satchel fastened round the crossbar to ' soldier on'. That was it: no bleating or moaning. Just 'soldier on'. Every few days a school friend would come in late. 'bombed out,' perhaps his mum was in hospital, or his dad was reported 'missing'.

Not all was unhappiness. We used to go swimming in the river near Eaton railway crossing; 'Kezzick' we called it. The girls from the A.T.S. Camp ( Auxiliary Territorial Service) would come down and swim with us on warm nights. Oh! Those big girls with their hair all tied up. We were immature boys and they were so grown up! So big, so beautiful; it was not long before 'suitors' arrived to join these evening parties. Those long limbed creatures always accepted that they were our 'guests.' there to be admired and admire them we did! Now they are ' little old ladies but Ah! The stirrings of youth!

Bombs, destruction, bodies half hidden in brick rubble, it became a way of life you even got used to it. The raids eased. News came that the unbeatable Rommel retreating from Tobrok. Next the Normandy landings kept the Luftwaffe so busy that they had no time to destroy the marsh windmills or little country churches, we all became complacent again until:

Near mid-day we were standing in Horry Walker's garden: then it came: just a huge explosion, no warning, not nuthin! The first of the 'V2 rockets' had arrived in Norwich. Fortunately, Hitler had left it too late and the rocket attacks did not bring the expected German victory.

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