大象传媒

My Dad was 13 when WW2 broke out. He and his parents and 3 brothers lived in Camden Town, London. He was the second from youngest brother, the one always getting into scraps. They were a loving family. His father was a French Polisher. They were hard up, but in those days Dad said it seemed that everyone struggled to make ends meet.

Dad and his brother, Charlie, were sent to Norfolk as evacuees in the early war years. They barely stayed there 2 weeks, when their Mum called them back home as she missed them so much.

School work was carried out in teachers homes, and anyway Dad left at 14 to work in a hardware store. A career he kept up his whole life - finally owning his own ironmongers.

Things went on pretty steadily and in 1942 Dad's baby brother Geoffery was born.

His eldest brother, Jack, was a very clever young man who had received accolades from his school for his academic endeavours. He joined the Army, along with the next brother down, George. Jack, a red-head, was sent to India while George was sent to France.

The family back home in London had survived the blitz and were looking forward to the end of the war when all five boys could be together. Unfortunately, however, early in 1944 they received news that Jack had died in India. On patrol he had fallen and broken his ankle. The rest of the troop left him while they went to get help. During this time the heat was intense and when they returned they found he had died of sunstroke. He was buried in India and his blanket sent home to his parents. The whole family were devastated.

Bombing had been quieter in London for a while when later that year the dooble bug bombs started. These bombs went silent for a while and apparently no-one was sure where they were to land. One night in July 1944 the sirens sounded and Dad, his parents, young Charlie and Geoffrey, along with 2 other families in the street went to the big shelter in the middle of the road.

It took a direct hit and, luckily for me, Dad was the only survivor.

Dad had a long spell in hospital to recover. His only remaining brother, George, in Europe, felt isolated and totally bereft when hearing the news. Dad was finally discharged from hospital and went to live with his Auntie and soon afterwards was called up into the Navy.

He survived his time in the Navy and married my Mum - who he went to school with. They had my twin sister and myself and moved out of London in the mid 1950s. He still is a survivor.

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