大象传媒

When the enemy bombers came over,perhaps on their way to the industrial Midlands they would make quite a noise.Grandma soon got fed up with running down the garden to the shelter when the siren went and turned the radio up loud so that we couldnt hear them-but the house used to shake a little. I was too young but I understand people in Kettering went into the streets to see the lights from the bombing of Coventry.

I was found at the bottom of the garden at the age of three unable to speak,this lasted for ten months and the medical people said it was caused by the bombers forming overhead(presumably 8th USAAF)making so much noise.I still have stammering speech at times.

When I was older(around 10) adults said they could see daylight through the wings of the B17s returning to their nearby bases.

We only had a few high explosive bombs dropped on Kettering but I was told the German bombers kept a few incendiaries for the return trip and we caught quite few of them(I have one in the shed!)

My mother told me that I was in the pram when a German bomber flew very low over us in a country lane,it was closely followed by a fighter plane with guns firing.Mum said she steered the pram gently into the ditch as the shell cases clattered along the road,the German plane was shot down near Cranford and the aircrew buried in Kettering cemetary with Military Honours.

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