大象传媒

Back in 1941 Plymouth had 3 nights right off of terrible bombing by the Germans and my Aunt, Uncle and cousin lived in Plymouth. There were no communications at all, no telephone, no post, nothing at all that one could do to find out whether relatives were living, injured or dead.

After the 3rd night of the bombing the very next morning my mother and I caught the 5.30 a.m. train from Totnes to Plymouth (they used to call it the 'sailors' train) to find out about my Aunt and Uncle and cousin, as my grandmother was absolutely frantic to know about her youngest daughter (my mother's sister).

We arrived at North Road Station and walked up the hill and I've never seen such devastation in all my life, bodies everywhere, furniture hanging from sides of houses and the A.R.P. men trying to help us as well as the soldiers working on the bomb damaged houses and trying to find the people trapped. We were told to tray to get to the Lecture Rooms underneath the Guildhall where they did have some sort of lists with people dead or missing.

Eventually after many hours, and I do not remember how we found out, but my Aunt and Uncle and cousin had walked from Plymouth to Yealmpton on the FIRST night of the bombing, like many others did, and they were safe. Many, many people walked out to the moors, Lee Moor and Yelverton. The sight of the bomb damage in Plymouth remains in my memory to this day.

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