大象传媒

When Nazi Germany began to overrun Europe there was no doubt about what Britain had to do-Britain had to stop them! Then when that effort found us besieged in our tight little island there was no thought of suing for peace, "We would stick it out whatever happened!"
Those of us who were there at the time will remember that there was no doubt that we would win the war, although equally none would have been able to say how.
Our cenotaphs record the names of those who died to bring this about, our family memories record the host who died at home under the hurricane of bombing which was Hitler's attempt to break our spirit.
The great bombing attack on London was soon nicknamed "The Blitz" after the German title for their new kind of warfare, the Blitzkrieg, meaning lightening war.
Churchill comments in his history of the Second World War that in a way, to attack London was useless as it was so huge and sprawling that the damage just got absorbed. Not only that, he goes on, but the more widespread the damage, the greater the percenatge of bombs that fell uselessly on ruins. It is one way of looking at it.
It is sad to see blown to pieces the buildings which have been the setting of one's life. You can say,well they are only bricks and stone and nothing compared to a human life, but that does not help. They were the real background to your human life and when they go, a little of yourself goes too.
People left London every night in their thousands and came back each morning to their work. 'Business as usual' was the proud slogan and cards bearing this message hung defiantly on countless blasted places of continuing trade.
Thousands more went down every night into the Underground stations where they lay down contentedly between the rails that during the day carried searing currents of electricity. One cannot think of a safer place to be then.
Households were issued with corrugated iron shelters which could be dug into their gardens. They were sufficient to protect the crouching families from blast and slicing bomb splinters and even usually from the collapse of their homes about them.
In such cases neigbours would dig them out next morning calling, "cup of tea soon,eh?"
And for those people who could not stand winter nights outside,there were,later on, indoor shelters like steel breakfast tables. These were usually strong enough to take the collapse of the house.
Then in the morning would come the sight of streets choked by fallen masonry and timbers, of the smell of escaping gas and water spouting from cut pipes;often showing some pathetic household article or a child's toy as well...
A small army of people would be making huge efforts to clear some of it away before the next night's onslaught.
One remarkable sight often seen was that of a church still standing amid a sea of rubble. Splinter scarred and with empty windows, but otherwise sound. Was it because they were such heavy structures, or was it something else?
One obvious target for the ferocious enemy would surely have been Buckingham Palace, where Britain's King and queen insisted doggedly in remaing, but apart from some damage it still stood each morning.
One is also proud to remember that although many thouands of children were sent to Canada for thier safety, the young princesses stayed in London. The Queen, their mother, declared, "The children cannot leave without me and I cannot leave without the King and the King will never leave."
How can any enemy hope to win aganist that?Bomb damage can be bizarre someitmes and parts of some buildings remained standing, although hideously contorted. And not all bomb stories are tragic. The author had an aunt who lived in Weymouth near the harbour. one night she was seated on a chamber pot when a passing German plane dropped a bomb on the harbour. The explosion caused the aunt to leap convulsively, coming down heavily upon the pot which shattered. She told this tale often, always finishing in tones of shrill indignation: "I cut myself five times!"

This story was submitted to the People's War website by a volunteer of the Stoke CSV Action Desk on behalf of John Pound and was added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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