大象传媒

Mr. Charles Boult

I remember the day when my five sisters were evacuated; my Mum, Dad, and I took them to Stapleton Rd railway station in Bristol. There we saw about two hundred children waiting for the train. Parents and children were crying because nobody knew where they were going and when, or even if, they would see them again. I was told that I was too old to go with them. It was very upsetting experience, waving them goodbye. When the train disappeared there were only four children about my age and all the parents left on the platform. It suddenly became a very quiet and lonely place. We were informed later that they had gone to Cornwall and were settled in nice homes. Although we missed them, we were glad to think they were in a safe place, because we lived through some very bad air raids in Bristol.

I remember one Sunday evening being in church and hearing the air raid sirens going. The vicar told us all we were not to worry as we were in God鈥檚 house and he would look after us. The next thing we could hear the whistling sound bombs made as they fell through the air, and explosions all around us. An air raid warden opened the church doors and was shouting at us to get out and get to the shelters. No one seemed to move until an incendiary bomb actually came through the church roof. Then everybody rushed to the door in a panic. I found out next day that five of my school friends had lost their lives in that air raid. We were lucky to live through many more raids with lots of Bristol being destroyed. I also consider myself very lucky to have been called up for service with the Royal Marines just after Germany surrendered.

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