大象传媒

A WAR TIME MEMORY from High Brooms, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent

July 1944; flying bombs were passing over fairly frequently. Every now and then the engine stopped and a second or two later there would be a fairly heavy explosion.

I was at home one lunchtime when the sun was shining brightly and the usual traffic had passed overhead. An engine stopped, several seconds passed. No explosion.

I went into the small garden at the rear of the house and looked to the west along the row of houses and to my horror gliding towards me only a few feet above the houses was a silent flying bomb. Probably within two seconds I was in the Morrison (table) shelter; still no explosion.

Some time later the local air raid wardens came round the streets with loud hailers telling people to open their windows because there was an unexploded bomb in the vicinity. I and some friends went out to find it and discovered that it had apparently glided to a standstill in a smallholding not far from my home. In so doing it had entangled itself in chicken wire; I was told at the time that also entangled in the chicken wire was the gentleman whose chickens he was attending! I believe he recovered from what must have been a rather frightening experience!

THESE MEMORIES WERE SUBITTED TO THE SITE BY JOHN YOUNG OF 大象传媒 SOUTH EAST ON BEHALF OF JAMES RICHARDSON. MR RICHARDSON UNDERSTANDS THE SITE'S TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

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