大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War website by Lynn Hughes on behalf of Betty Cooney (Boon), the author and has been added to the site his/her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

During the war I worked in Devonport Dockyard. Our office was situated in North Yard quite close to the Dockyard wall. It was huge granite built building, which we shared with the recording staff.

Our floor had a large semi circular window that overlooked the River Tamar. On two occasions enemy planes seemed to appear from nowhere. They flew low over the Dockyard wall, passing immediately over our office. On the day that the Torpoint Oil tanks were bombed we were busy working. There had been no air raid warning but suddenly there came the deafening roar of aircraft followed in the same instant of time by crashing of explosions on the far side of the river. We all rushed to the window before we gathered our senses together. Across the water we saw the flames leaping up to the sky from the Torpoint oil tanks. Our Head of section shouted and bullied us back and the air raid sirens sounded as we were grabbing up our records, gas masks, steel helmets and handbags and balancing our current work precariously on the top. We rushed down over the wide stone stairs to the cellars where we had our shelter.

There we stayed until the 鈥渁ll clear鈥� sounded, when we climbed back up the stairs with our burdens and resumed work in a state of shock. But shock or no shock raid or no raid we had to pull ourselves together. Our accounts had to balance to the last penny, and at the usual time. The other occasion was when Goschen Street was bombed. This time the attack came from the riverside of our building; once again they flew low and passed over our office and the Dockyard wall.

The explosions came almost at once, we learned later that they flew straight up Goschen Street, bombing as they went. I never saw this damage although my bus stop was so near, all seemed to do was to work and go home and come to work again.

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