- Contributed by听
- CovWarkCSVActionDesk
- People in story:听
- Jack & Gladys Gunn, Roy Gunn, Sheila Gunn
- Location of story:听
- Coventry
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4775123
- Contributed on:听
- 04 August 2005
I came to Coventry in 1937 because my father got a job with the Standard Motor Company. We lived in Allesley Old Rd at the outbreak of the war, whch is behind Prince of Wales Rd. During air raids I would shelter under the stairs with my parents and my sister. On 14 November (Coventry blitz night)we were all under the stairs early, when after a while we heard a big explosion and the house shook badly. When the bombing stopped we emerged from under the stairs to find lots of debris and people running for the stone shelters that were around. I looked up and remember thinking that it was a beautiful night sky, with a big moon and what seemed to be little white clouds, but were in fact puffs from anti-aircraft guns.
The following morning we discovered what had happened- a land-mine had been dropped by parachute onto Prince of Wales Rd destroying many houses. We spent the next few days in shelters until my father found a shelter for evecuees. On the way there we were stopped by police in Stratford due to an unexploded bomb blocking the way. We stayed for six weeks, passing the bomb on our way to shcool for six whole weeks, before the army finally came to blow it up!
Eventually we got our own Anderson Shelter(the dog was always the first one in) and I would often stand outside and watch the red glow in the sky which came from Birmingham.
I also remember one daylight raid when the sirens went off while I was at school. We were all evacuated to the Standard Motor factory, but on the way a German Bomber (Heinkea) passed low over head, before dropping its bombs on the factories paint shop.
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