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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Dianne Burtrand of Chelmsford Library on behalf of Gillian Betts and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

Before we got a table shelter we used to go in the cupboard under the stairs which was used as a larder, with Grandad’s home made wine, pickles, jams and preserves etc.
One ‘bad’ night the bombs were quite close coming seemingly in a straight line with a shrieking whistling sound. My mum sat on a chair with my baby sister on her lap and my Grandma and I standing each side, all clinging together. At each explosion everything jumped in the air and after a while we were covered with everything and the smell was really awful.
Afterwards I went out to the outside loo. There were bricks everywhere and my bike wheels had dents where the bricks had fallen.
After that we got a Morrison shelter which was awful as we suffocated with the blankets draped around the side and had to keep one side free.

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