´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Caroline Morgan from Westree Learning Centre and has been added to the website on behalf of Ron Farrow with his permission and they fully understand the site’s terms and conditions.

On the 17 September 1940, hop picking time. I was 10 years of age. My sister had a premonition that something was going to happen, and my father who was an air raid warden said to her ‘don’t be silly, don’t let the Germans ruin your sleep. Go to bed like your Mum has’ — if she had she would have died.

I was woken by a sudden unexplainable sound, woke up and realised I could see the sky which was very brightly illuminated by flares. I rushed into my Mum and told her there was a fire and she said never mind it was the paraffin lamp which had fallen over. When she realised what had happened, she grabbed hold of me to take me down the stairs where my Father was busy trying to force a way out of the house owing to the extreme heat the windows were seized so he bodily threw himself through the window. He was 17 stone and a big strong man. Having forced his way out he said for me to follow him and I ran across the lawn where the crew of the plane were strewn across it and I ran across their bodies.

My mother who was a very brave woman went back in the house to get the canary. My father went round the side of the house where he heard a voice calling for help. He picked up a bucket and heard the woman’s voice which was down a hole which had been made by a 500 UXB. She was standing on the flights of the bomb!!

The bomb disposal people came to remove her from it the next day. My family sent her down food etc but told her not to move. I decided that I would get as far away as I could from the firework display and was finally found at The Barming Bull wearing just my pyjamas and one Wellington boot!! I was then taken in by a Major and Nurse White about half a mile up the road from where I was and 1 mile from the fire. Later on we were all housed at Barming Heath with a large family called Leavers.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.