大象传媒

I can鈥檛 remember very much (due to my age 鈥� being only 5-6 at the time) but I do vividly remember being woken up some nights at Putteridge Park (Luton) when the enemy planes were around and being wrapped up in an eiderdown and carried downstairs by either Mum or Dad and we all sat underneath the stairs until it was safe to go back to bed.

One day, I can remember a plane must have been hit over Stopsley after a Dog Fight and I can still see the 2 鈥� 3 parachutes coming down as we looked out of the window. Luckily, much to Mum鈥檚 relief, the Airman did not land anywhere near Putteridge! I don鈥檛 think we鈥檇 have been allowed out of the house if they had.

Later on in the war, some of the German prisoners of war were sent to Putteridge to mend the road; for some reason my parents now took pity on them and cups of tea and biscuits were often taken to them (by permission of their guards), and we did get quite friendly with some of them. I can vaguely remember having a small red pedal car and I had great fun having so many helpers to push the car up and down the road - great fun.

As regards school at Stopsley Infants School. All I can remember is when the sirens went we were shepherded out into the playground where there were underground shelters, and we were ushered into these dark corridors and had to sit on wooden benches around the side; it seemed very dark in there, being lit by very small light bulbs and not many of these. We all had to carry our little boxes with Gas Masks everywhere we went and often had to practice putting these on. I can still remember the smell of these 鈥� just like having a gas mask on in the dentist鈥檚 chair later on in years.

Regarding sweets, etc., I know Mum used to try and save some coupons and we went down to a small sweetshop in Guildford Street, Luton, and if we were lucky managed to get a quarter of a pound of sweets and a bar of chocolate. I think we often had to put our names on a list for these. These bars of chocolate especially were put away in a tin until Christmas time or some other celebration. It was like 鈥淗eaven鈥� to open this tin up and pick out a bar of chocolate from it 鈥� to have two pieces was a luxury!

I can also recall if mum managed to get a few bananas 鈥� they used to taste so good 鈥� much better than the ones we get nowadays!
We must have moved from Putteridge to Kings Walden some time towards the end of the war and I can remember going to a party somewhere to celebrate this. Where it was I am afraid I have no recollection.

Much more fun to be pushed up and down in my little red car.

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