大象传媒

From Peace To War And Back.

Born in Eastbourne 1935 the last thing on my mind as a child was war. My father who was a baker worked in one of the hotels.

So until I was 3 years of age I grew up with the sea air and cut my first teeth on one of the beach pebbles.

In 1938 my mother grew homesick and we returned to her family in Coventry. Our first home was in Leicester Causeway, later moving to 9 Ash Grove off Stoney Stanton Road. We were very happy there. My father found employment at the Rover car factory, and all was fine till Mr A Hitler tried to rule Europe, declaring war on Great Britain. To me as a youngster, it was all a game. Playing in the heaps of sand and piles of bricks as the air raid shelters were built and when the sirens sounded taking refuge under the stairs to lie on a mattress. Light was a wax candle. We would huddle together till the all clear sounded. In the daytime we would listen to Lord Haw Haw 鈥淕ermany Calling鈥�. His voice terrified us all.

We had a few bombing raids but not as heavy as the November Blitz. My father came home from work and said that the arms factory, which was just up the road, would be testing a new set of guns and not to worry. So we settled down to listen to the radio. Not long after there were loud bangs and explosions. In fact, it was the Germans bombing Coventry.

The sky was lit up with the city burning. We hastily retreated under the stairs until the all clear sounded. We then came out to find our home in disarray and a ticking sound, which we thought was a time bomb but on closer inspection found it to be a goldfish knocking its tail against the sideboard. The house had most of the windows blown out and considerable damage to the roof and chimney as we walked out into Stoney Stanton Road. My father ordered us back because the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital had been bombed and a lot of people had been badly cut by flying glass splinters.

Soon after it was decided to move to Rugby. Everyone seemed to be leaving the city. We arrived at the railway station. The platforms were crowded with adults and children traumatised by the blitz, holding the few possessions they could carry and their pets. We scrambled on to the train to Rugby. We found lodging and settled down once again. Rugby had very little bombing, but the bombing continued on Coventry and we could see Coventry burning. It must have been a worry for my parents with my mother鈥檚 family living in the city.

My father was still working at the Rover car factory. He visited the house in Ash Grove to check on the furniture etc and to his dismay found that looters had taken everything of value including his beloved radio.

So we returned to Coventry. I believe the venue was St Mary鈥檚 Hall. I remember a policeman was on the door and we looked round a room full of stolen property. Alas there was no property of ours and sadly no radio, so we returned to Rugby.

My sister was born in December 1940. Early in 1941 we had a letter to say we could return to Ash Grove, which had been repaired. Unfortunately I contracted Scarlet Fever and had to go into isolation at St Mary鈥檚 hospital, Harborough Magna; so my family would not return to Ash Grove Coventry without me. Staying in Rugby proved to be the family鈥檚 saviour as the house was completely destroyed. If I had not been infected with Scarlet Fever I would not be writing my account of the November and April blitz as I saw it. I have been past Ash Grove on a few occasions over the years and I think back to what might have been.

By the way, a garage stands there now and has the name 鈥淎sh Grove鈥�. A miracle I鈥檒l say and all because of being hospitalised with :

鈥淪CARLET FEVER鈥�

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