大象传媒

An Urchins Memories.

When the war started we lived above the Undertakers shop, which was part of my grandfathers business in Askew Road, Shepherds Bush London W.12.
There were 6 in our family Dad, Mum, two older brothers, my younger sister and me, Peter Barnes. I was born in 1936.

In the blitz of 1940 my father decided it was to dangerous for us children and Mum to stay in London, so he took us to Exeter in Devon, to stay with a family by the name of Cherrington, while Dad carried on his job鈥檚 as an Undertaker and a Auxiliary Fireman in the London Fire Brigade.

After spending some peaceful months in Exeter things changed. German bombers were targeting the docks in Plymouth and for some reason one had not dropped his bomb load so he dropped it over Exeter. I have been told they were called landmines (after all I was only 4 at the time so this part was told to me by my Mum) thankfully his aim was not very good and it landed in open fields at the rear of the house, still close enough to blow in the back windows. I was asleep in bed upstairs at the rear of the house, when the adults came up to the bedroom, there was the window frame laying on my bed. He must be dead said my Mum but on lifting the frame up I was not there, I had been blown out of the bed onto the floor where they found me still asleep and completely unharmed.

On hearing about this bombing my father said if we were going to die it might as well be in our own home in London. He then turned his basement workshop into a shelter, lining the ceiling with 1 inch thick Elm boards from which he normally made the coffins supported by 9 inch joists from bombed out buildings, when this was ready we came home. One memory of the shelter was the night our dog Jack chased a rat around the shelter including over our bed quite a few times, us kids thought it was good fun but Mum did not.

The Germans bombed all around us, the church opposite was gutted by incendiary bombs, the Sun public house about 100 yards up the road took a direct hit and many were killed. One night a bomb missed its target of a factory to the rear of our house and ended up under the shop 3 doors away but did not explode, we then had to evacuate while it was made safe and removed, my parents were told if it had gone off we would have all been killed as it was such a big one. Many houses in the nearby streets were hit and it became the norm to see blocks of two or three houses in ruins as you went to school in the morning and you always hoped nobody was in them when it happened.

In 1943 my Mum had to go into hospital for a big operation to do with TB, I went to stay with my grand parents in Devonport Road, Shepherds Bush. Although I was only seven I could walk safely to school on my own as long as I had my gas mask. One morning on arriving at Victoria School, Becklow Road I and many other children found the it had been hit by bombs during the night, so we had a few days holiday while the damage was cleared up.

With all these terrible things going on nearly every night, I can still remember that the first thing you did in the morning while walking to school was to look for pieces of shrapnel from the bombs or shells, they were regarded as little treasures especially if they were still hot. We also had great fun playing in the bombed out buildings, from which we would collect old floor boards and other timber to make wooden scooters and racing trolley鈥檚 with old pram wheels in my Dads workshop, this is when I can remember my eldest brother saying you are a little Urchin.

My last vivid recollection of the war was standing outside my Dad鈥檚 shop and hearing the drone of a Doodle Bug, on looking up I saw the craft flying almost directly above us going north, while still in sight the engine stopped. I said to my Dad at least it has gone past us, to which he replied yes son but somebody is going to get it.

When the war was over I remember the wonderful street parties to celebrate the peace, first VE Day then VJ Day I still wonder where all the food came from, we had types of sandwiches and cakes that I had never seen before and I was now 9yrs old.

Watching the recent celebrations for the 60th Anniversary, my wife and I wore our V sign Thanks badges with pride. As a war child I feel we owe all of our veterans so much and the best way to repay this debt is to never forget what they did for us and future generations.

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