大象传媒

This contribution to WW2 People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk on 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk. The story has been written and submitted to the website by Jane Bradbury (Volunteer Story Gatherer) with the full permission and on behalf of Alan Greenwood.

My brother and I were staying with my aunt and grandmother at 41, Lisl Road, Colchester. It was July/August 1944, a hot day. We were taken to Mistley just to play at the 鈥榖each鈥� as we were not allowed to go to the coast due to wartime restrictions.
We were playing happily when suddenly, out of the sky, came 3 FW190s. (Focke-Wolfe 190 heavy fighters with one pilot) They appeared to be going towards the factory (BX plastics?) which manufactured Kodak film(?) They suddenly just flew lower and opened fire on us on the beach. Everyone screamed and ran for the bushes. It lasted seconds and then they just flew back out to sea. I didn鈥檛 feel frightened but my aunt used to speak about it a lot.

It was Monday morning at the same house. I was pegging out the washing with my grandmother. A doodle bug came over at about 500 feet. Grandmother said, 鈥淓ngine, keep going, keep going鈥�. The engine cut a few seconds later and crashed in Butt Road, Colchester. As far as I know it killed 66 people. A few days later I attended the interment in Colchester cemetery. I can remember a big pit.

I used to sleep under the table on regular occasions at 21, Foresight Road. The night before you would see flames over Colchester. My mother called me and we went to the landing window facing Colchester. You saw Colchester alight. When I walked to school the next morning you could see damage to various houses, roofs, chimneys. We used to laugh.

At Canterbury Road School when the sirens sounded we would all be taken to big shelters built above ground in the playground. In one end (seating down the side) and out the other end. We sang 鈥�10 green bottles鈥�, there was no panic. It was a fun time. There were 5 bunkers built of concrete, dark, damp and miserable, not very bright and dismal. They were demolished after the war with a crane and ball. We were all fascinated. We were in them when we heard the bombs fall, for about 10 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day, in 1943/44. We had 50 in our class, mixed.

A C47 Dakota was shot down where we lived and we had great fun running up and down the belly of it. We broke the flexi glass and filed it down to make Perspex rings.

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