大象传媒

Mangravet avenue is and was situated off the sutton road at Maidstone next to the Kent county police headqauters.
The lay out of the estate is in a complete circle with roads deviding the circle, with the large building of the police headquaters only metres from the estate, with its parade ground it was so easy to mistake it for the army barracks that was situate just four miles away.
Our next door neighbour Elsie and my mother had worked out a system of tapping three times on the kitchen wall when any one of them was coming around to have a chat or a cup of tea,or if the threat of an air raid was on.
This system was used through out the war and was continued long after the war,
Both of their husbands were on active service and with german aircraft flying over every night going and coming back from bombing raids over London. A German bomer crew may bale out having been brought down near the area of Maidstone, it was a prudent safety measure.
They also made a hole in the garden fence so that access to each others home was quickly obtained.
Each house had an air raid shelter but was not used because they were prone to filling up with water when it rained, instead they used a cupboard under the stair,that was concidered the safest place within the house,untill one a particular nights event.
My mother had prepeared hot water bottles and a hot drink before she got my sister and myself to bed.
There was a knock on the kitchen wall my mother replied and opened the back door Elsie came through the fence with her two boys Lenny and Alan.
Florrie, Mr Francis (The Fire Warden)has told me that they are expecting an air raid on Maidstone tonight,said Elsie.
She had hardly compleated the sentance when my mother saw flares and what was insendary bombs falling into the woodland at the bottom of our gardens.
The incenderys were also falling down on the whole of the estate.
The air raid siren then started that sceary wine u Mr Francis had also mentioned that there was a plan to evacuate the houses,so Elsie and my mother decided to use the shelter that night.
My mother ran upstairs grabbed me from my cot and opened my sisters door shouting to her to come out into the garden.
Elsie was waiting by the back door for my mother ,who thrust me into Elsies arms whilst she ran back to get my sister.
My mother opened the stairs door, just as she did there was a mighty crash and rubble fell down the stair blocking her way up to my sisters bedroom.
It was only a matter of seconds before two air raid wardens came into the house they told my mother that they had seen the missile hit the house as they were running up the road putting the flares out. They climbed over the rubble got into my sisters bedroom found her under a blanket still in bed. They then carried her down stairs in the blanket still half asleep and wondering what all the fuss was about. From that day,for years after the war my mother always said,: That girl even a bomb would
not wake her up!:
The bombers did not make it most were shot down over the coast so my, then very relived mum tells me.
She was 93 this christmas and still remebers that.
day.

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