大象传媒

I was four when the War started. I remember sitting on the bottom stair in the hall listening to my Mum talking to the lady next door. I was scared but I didn't know why.

A siren went off which caused some upset but nothing happened. My Dad joined the Home Guard. We used to go and watch him on Church Parade. They were very smart, although not like in Dad's Army. When the raids started, Mum was a Fire Watcher. My Dad was also called up into the Army and one day I was told he had gone away on a big boat. I didn't understand but my young Brother and I cried anyway. (Dad had gone to North Africa and then Italy)

We had an Anderson Shelter which we used to go down to sleep, but It was very damp and because my Brother was little more than a baby, we were told that we could have a Morrison instead. In the meantime we slept under the bed.

I went to School throught the Blitz, even after a night in the shelter we still went. I lived near Croydon and we were on route to the East End of London so lots of bombs dropped on us. We used to collect the Shrapnel on the way to School and play in the bombed houses.

Mum told us if we were out and the siren went we were to knock at a house and ask to go in their shelter. We only did this once and the lady didn't have a shelter, but let us in anyway and we played with her little boy and she gave us Orange squash and cakes.

Most of the raids were at night so we still went up to the Park and to Streatham Common. We used to go to the pictures and a sign would come up when the siren had gone and you could leave the Cinema if you wished. We never did, we wouldn't give up Errol Flynn for Hitler or anyone else!

The worst things were the Doodle Bugs. We were sleeping in the Morrison then. Behind our house were some tennis courts and beyond that some 'posh' houses. One terrible night the Doodle Bugs came and I was really scared when their engine stopped. I sat up and grabbed my Mum and at that moment there was a sickening bang and all our windows came in.

When I looked round my pillow was stabbed with shards of glass. Some of our walls had fallen down. A lot of people were killed that night and in the morning, several of the 'posh' houses were gone. They made a Memorial Garden after the War where they had once stood.

A lot of the older girls in the street went out with the Yanks. I used to wish I was older so I could go out with a Yank. The girls used to get lots of presents too. On VE Day we had a huge street party with dancing all night. Mum was happy but still sad waiting for Dad. On VJ Day we went to Grange Park where there was a big celebration and we danced on the lawns.

Eventually Dad came home, a tanned shy stranger. My older Brother came home from the Navy and got depressed about returning to his factory job and being confined to home.

I had a lot of trouble settling down for a few years, I still used to wait for the siren to go every night and even now, If I hear one I feel sick to my stomach. Nobody in our family was killed thanfully. I think my Mum was wonderful, running a household, four kids and an absent Husband for six years. Please God, nobody has to go through anything like that ever again.

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