大象传媒

Evacuation

We awoke as a family sleeping together in the front room with a start as we heard knocking on the front door and the Air-raid Wardens whistles blowing. What was going on.?
Dad opened the Front Door and an Air- Raid Warden said.
鈥淵ou have to Evacuate your house at once as there is a Unexploded Bomb caught up with its Parachute on a Tree at the top of the Road so we have to clear the whole Area so just take with you what you want for a few days and we will direct you where to go
鈥� Well you have to give us a bit of time and where are we going?
鈥� We are going to put you all in the Underground Shelter at Newington Green for the rest of the Night and sort you all out in the Morning鈥�
Dad returned and got us all sorted out and packed up and told my Mum and Gran and us Kids to go on ahead of him as he was going to have a shave and get ready for work before he left, but my Brother Sid鈥檚 reply was.
鈥� I鈥檒l wait for Dad I鈥檓 not going without him鈥�
Which he did and we went off to the Shelter which was in fact nearer the Bomb than our House still being underground was no doubt safer and we were there at least half an hour before Dad and my Brother Sid turned up.
Dad had fed the Cat before leaving the house so knew he would be OK for a Day and with any luck they would dismantle the Bomb quickly and we could return home.
Of course we were there with all our Neighbours so the night passed fairly quickly and the WVS came around with hot Drinks so we were OK
In the Morning each Family was asked if they knew someone who they could stay with for a few Days until the Bomb was dismantled and as my Mother鈥檚 Brother lived in a house at the top of Albion Road near Clissold Park and as he and his wife went out of London to friends each night to get away from the Blitz she knew we could go there so we contacted them and arrived on their doorstep and moved in.
Dad eventually got off to work after settling us in and we had a day off school so we settled in hoping that we would be able to get back home soon.
Each day Dad would go by the house on his Bike on the way home from work to feed the cat and each time was stopped by the Police at the Cordon with the words
鈥� You go through at your own risk鈥�
To which Dad reply was
鈥� I鈥檝e got to feed the Cat haven鈥檛 I鈥�
Anyway it was good that he did because he could tell how things were going and at least the House was still there.
Although my Brother and I went to School each day we missed home and wondered when we would be able to return and Mum and Gran were fed up too as there wasn鈥檛 much they could do but wait and hope all would go well.
So when on the Friday Night Dad arrived back at the house with the news it was safe to return home as the Bomb had been Dismantled we all shouted 鈥淗ooray!鈥� and we all packed up and left straight away as we had enough of being away from home 5 nights.
As we entered our House the Air-raid Warning went but as far as we were concerned we weren鈥檛 going down to our Anderson Shelter as we had to clean the house up and settle back in, We were certainly too busy to worry about the Air-raid that night.

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