大象传媒

It was late 1940 when after enduring three days on the beach at Dunkirk and having the first ship (a Destroyer)he was on sunk under him and having to swim back ashore before being picked up again off the beach,my cousin Arthur came home after a spell in hospital.So you can well believe that there was great joy at his safe return and a party for friends and relations was swiftly organised.
The family lived in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham,which at that time was suffering its share of air raids.So inevitably at the height of the party the sirens sounded and soon the guns started sounding off at the droning aircraft.However such a thing as this was not going to spoil a very good party.Cousins Rene and Gwen played the piano and accordion respectively and we were all having a very good time,helped of course by some of MandB's(or was it Ansells?)best beer.As the raid got noisier so did the party but after one loud whistle and explosion accompanied by the noise of breaking glass it was decided that we should all repair to the Anderson Shelter which was situated at the bottom of the garden.Accordingly a Conga line was formed and led by cousin Jack we set of through the darkness lit only by the reflections of the Searchlights and accompanied by various flashes and bangs we set of down the garden.Cousin Jack's descent into the shelter was accompanied by some very bad language which translated into the fact that the blank blank Cat had been there and had left some messages behind! The Conga line was quickly turned around and we returned to the house where the party continued to the small hours long after the Luftwaffa had given up and gone home.

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