大象传媒

(This story has been submitted to the People's War website by a volunteer from Radio Northampton and has been added to the site with Edward Cutmore's permission through the Rushden Historial Society. Mr Cutmore understands the sites terms and conditions).

Yes I do remember the bombs and all it entailed! I was working in the shop, on the corner of Alfred and Church Streets, a couple of other staff with me. I鈥檇 sent my brother Jack (Stanley, J) up to the High Street to try to rustle up some goodies for tea-break. The weather was fine with just a September haze to keep things cool and the street with only a small number of folk about.

Suddenly came a 鈥淭HUMP, THUMP鈥�, in the direction of the rear windows facing the Post Office and School. The noise was unmistakable and we dived below the level of the workshop bench. As the bumps became louder I ran to the corner door in time to see Jack running pell-mell down Church Street in the shelter of the red brick wall which enclosed the garden about Butlin鈥檚 hat shop. At that moment I saw a Dornier 17 bomber flash across John White鈥檚 factory and Newton Road with its machine funs firing. It turned out that it was 鈥渟hooting up鈥� the station, where a lady, whose name I forget (who lived in park Avenue) received a slug in her hip which left her with a permanent limp. She had been standing on the Platform.

News rapidly spread that the school had been hit by one of the many bombs, which rained on the town, and I hurried along Alfred Street to see what damage had been done. The classroom on the College Street side of the complex was a complete wreck, and as I arrived, I saw a sailor who was on leave from his Merchant shop carrying a child across the rubble. There were scores of men scrambling over the heaps 鈥� the workers from Cave's factory opposite had streamed out to help, as well as to assist their own workmates who had been involved when the 鈥渃licking room鈥� of the factory had received the next previous of the missile sting.

My stepdaughter Sylvia Oates (later Cooper) 鈥� had been in the classroom where the teacher had called the children to get under the desks, she was physically unhurt, but subsequently suffered nervous problems, which affected her for the rest of her life. She died a short time ago.

I also remember as I turned from seeing the bomber, I also saw a Spitfire steak across the area above the Post Office and we were told that the German Aircraft was destroyed before it could reach the coast.

History tells of the route of the bombs from the first in the gateway of the Gasworks, one in the roadway at the top of 鈥淧unds Lane (Duck Street) where the thatched roof of Bates fish and chip shop collapsed. Cave鈥檚 sports ground below West Street, the factory, and the school where it landed 鈥� unexploded 鈥� at the base of the rear stairway after it ricocheted off the bathroom wall. One in the 鈥渁llotment ground鈥� behind the Scout Hall, and so to gun the station. In West Street a fresh precious ration of coal was thrown by the blast across the cellar and powdered against the far wall. At our home a saucepan of porridge was flung by the shock into the air and landed unspilled back into the saucepan!

We, in the lower part of Church Street, were confined by a rope barrier until a bomb squad winched Geoff鈥檚 bomb out to be exploded with a great 鈥渢hump鈥� in the sand pits behind Hall Avenue.

Members of the Home Guard were detailed to Patrol Cave鈥檚 Factory (against looters!?) for some time and I, myself a, did several turns on the roof parapet on that duty, staring down through the shattered roof into the fatal works.

I haven鈥檛 enlarged on the actual bomb which hit the schoolroom, as it is something of a blur after 60 years 鈥� at the time it was all action but nevertheless a tragedy.

These are just details which remain in memory and are unlikely to be forgotten.

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