大象传媒

Reverting back to London, to bring my other pal into the story,we had both worked for the same factory in S.E London. Metal manufactuers whose selling slogan was "Anything from a Bin to a Building". They held their "centenary anniversary" in the "Temporary" corrugated-iron Building"!! shortly before the war. We had both shared the experiences of the Blitz together including witnessing the initial raids on dockland and East-London the Grand Surrey Docks in particular. There was a strongly held belief that the "Mazawatee Tea Factory" chimney adjoining the canal, which had been an huge illuminated landmark, having a red neon sign form top to bottom, acted as a good aiming marker for the bombers. This having been duly recorded by the zeppelins during their courtesy flights over the Capital pre-war. We also witnessed the death of another work colleague who just said "cheerio" to as we left New Cross Gate on tram, he was was killed by being impaled by some Garden Railings blown across the road behind us striking him as we had left him only minutes earlier. I was called for National Service in October 1942, joining the Royal Engineers, and going on tohelp in the construction of Mulberry Harbour at Marchwood 1943-44. Subsequently Jimmy was called up just six- months, also going into the "R.E.s" I met him for the last time on a visit to Plymouth where he was stationed.
Strangley although I knew he had been killed shortly after "D"-Day I did not know of his true fate until last year, with the aid of the War Graves Commision I learned that he had "also" been working on Mulberry harbour, with a RE Port Operating Company at Caen and had been killed by a sniper just three weeks after "D-Day", and he is buried in a cemetery some eleven miles north of the town. So Jimmy's grave together with Harry's is I hope possible to visit next year. to be Cont.

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