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I lived at Richard’s yard in Crook Co Durham.

I can remember the 'dog fights' because we knew they were after the Bank Foot cokeworks. The enemy would come over in Messerscmitts and Stukas (dive bombers) and our lads used to try and chase them away. They did a good job because they didn’t get the coke works.

The air raid would go off and you knew something was coming. My mother used to shout ‘get in you daft sod’ but I took no notice, I liked to stand and watch.

I could see the planes coming over and you could tell a Stuka as they have a sound of their own, a sort of whistle. When you heard the whistling it was time to get out of the way because that was when they would let the bombs go.

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