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Beer for the troops

At the house in Rampart Road, Salisbury, my father - George, who did not drink much, would keep a crate of beer in the kitchen and when a tank convoy passed our house and stopped for a minute, my brother or me, Betty, would go up to the men with bottles of beer for them.

Bombs in Salisbury

I was with my Uncle, Aubrey Searle — the Close Constable (Salisbury’s unique security guard around the Cathedral), when the air raid siren went. He sent me up to the little room over the gate to the Cathedral Close for safety! Then the bombs fell — 2? 3? And Uncle Aubrey had to rush to help an old lady that had fainted. She thought the end of the worlds had come, but she recovered and no more bombs came.

Saved from drowning?

My father, George Searle, was manger of the swimming baths in Castle Street. The Parachute Regiment used it to train their soldiers to jump into water from the top diving board. They sat, facing alternate ways and had to jump into the water which was 7 ft 6 ins deep in quick succession. One man got his helmet strap caught in his mouth and was choking. Dad jumped in to save him, got kicked in the stomach from an army boot and nearly drowned himself. All were OK fortunately.

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