大象传媒

Being born in August 1939 I was only six by the time the war ended in 1945. I have however three distinct memories of that time.

The first was lying in bed at night and hearing the German planes overhead on their way to bomb Manchester or Sheffield. I use to remain absolutely still and was frightened to make any noise in case they dropped their bombs on our house.

The second memory was walking round the town on a Sunday morning with my father. During the night a German fighter plane, reputedly having lost its way had shot up the town. Little damage really,a few broken windows and some shrapnel marks on stonework. However one bullet passed through a house window and across the bed where someone was sleeping and embedded itself in the wall on the other side. Not a big event really but to what was then a rather remote Derbyshire town the war had come home.

The final memory was shopping with my mother. At around 4pm most days several army lorries use to pass along the main street carrying twenty or so German prisioners or war in the back. They were returning from tree felling in the Peak. They use to wave and I would wave back. However on one occasion my mother was told in no uncertain terms by an irate man that I should be stopped from doing this. They must be ignored.

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