大象传媒

During the war Worthing was a high risk area for bombing, which meant having various sirens. There was an ordinary siren which most people took for granted and the cuckoo alert which signalled immediate danger. I only ever heard the cuckoo alert twice - one of which was when the Germans bombed nearby.

The area was hit by a bomb called the Doodlebug or buzz bomb - and was the first modern guided missile used in wartime and the first cruise missile. Called the buzz bomb because of the characteristic buzzing sound of the engine, it caused considerable fear in targeted areas. People would listen for the missile approaching, but then be actually relieved when it could be heard overhead as that meant it had passed over the area.

If the engine noise cut out, it was time to take cover, as the unpowered missile would go into its terminal dive and explode. The reason these bombs were launched at our area (Worthing) and the south east of England is because they were launched from 'ski jump' launch sites along the French and Dutch coasts until they were over-run by allied forces.

Living in a high risk area we were given a rather, unique at the time, protection mechanism. We nicknamed it the bird cage - because that is exactly what it was, Well a human sized bird cage, it had a metal base and arching mesh which came together at the top and were told that if we heard the cuckoo alert which got its name because of the sound it made - this alert signalled immediate danger and we should jump straight into it for protection.

I remember one particular night when there was a funny smell in the air - which only i seemed to notice. I was convinced we were going to be bombed that night and kept crawling around Mum and Dad warning them of my revelation. They continued with what they were doing and told me not to be so stupid but i wasn't going to let it go so lightly so, i told them i was going to sleep in the birdcage that night. Initially they laughed but by the look on my face they could tell i was serious. Bed time which was about 9pm for me (i was only ten at the time) came around and they tucked me into the cage with a blanket a few scraps for snacks and a pot (should i get caught short in the middle of the night). That was one of the longest nights for me as i'm sure i didn't go to sleep until early in the morning.

The next morning i had breakfast in the cage as dad said 'Your more suited to living in a cage'. To be honest i could have got quite used to living in the birdcage.

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