´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Joanne Burgess on behalf of Tim Warham and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."

On the night of the first blitz we heard the sirens and my Mother said ‘come on the sirens have gone’ and we had to get out of bed. Then we went into the shelter. We just got into the shelter when the guns started. Then it got worse we heard the glass breaking and fire bombs dropping. We all got onto the floor, and a lot of people were fainting and we heard screaming and crying. When I was lying on the floor I prayed to God to help us. When it was quiet an air raid warden came in and said ‘a bomb has fallen down the street and it is a time bomb. You all have to be evacuated to a building named Victoria Hall’.

So we all got the belongings we had with us, blankets, gas masks and ration books. As we were going outside the sky was red with flames. When we were going by a street called Wollcott Street we saw a big fire. Slates were falling off the roof, then we got inside I thought of people who were in hospital. In the morning when the all clear sounded we went to our house, all our windows were broken and when we got inside the floor was covered in soot. Lying amongst the soot cuddled up like a ball was the little kitten. How it meowed when it saw us and every time the sirens go I am frightened.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.