大象传媒

The shelter had bunks,and an earth floor. We had to step down into it of course and we kept pillows and blankets. a bottle of water and a chamber pot. I remember the damp feeling of the bedding. We lived on the perimeter of a fighter aerodrome and just a few miles from the river Thames,so the german bombers came over every night. The Dorniers had a special sound, particularly menacing. One night we were for some reason, late in going down to the shelter [with hot water bottles, torch and tea flask], I saw an enemy bomber lit up with quite a lot of our searchlights. He went this way and that but the enormous lights held on to him. I was just 10 years old but I remember feeling anxious for him. I didnt see any more because I was hurried to the shelter by my mother. There was just me,my mother and my baby sister who had been born in an air raid[and christened in one as well. My father was on the north atlantic convoys. He was a very heavy sleeper and apparently one day , in convoy there had been a busy day with the enemy,and when his watch was over he went to his bunk and had a deep refreshing sleep to be woken by an amazed dutyman. A U boat had been causing trouble amongst the convoy .All hell had been going on. guns firing. depth charges dropped. everything sliding around and things falling on the deck, and my father had slept sweetly on.

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