大象传媒

Soon after the air raid siren sounded on the night of November 14th 1940, I heard the characteristic whine of an incendiary falling. As a good citizen I went out with my shovel. I passed 2 or 3 incendiaries burning harmlessly in the street and then saw one burning by the garage of a house. I collected sand from a pile nearby and was pouring sand onto the incendiary when it exploded. The force of the blast spun me round. I thought 'I'm still alive!' I had sand in my face and my pullover was burned. It was not safe to go for treatment until the next day when I went to the First Aid post, where I was recorded as a casualty. I couldn't bear sunlight or bright light for a week afterwards. I was really lucky: an exploding incendiary usually killed those close by. I must have been one of the first casualties of the raid that killed about 500 people and destroyed much of Coventry including the cathedral.

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