大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Georgina Jarvis of Norfolk Adult Education on behalf of Ron Mace and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Ron Mace Age when war broke out: 10yrs 8months

The day war broke out:

I lived with my family at 78 Rose Lane, Norwich. I remember, on 3rd September, as a little boy, following my father鈥檚 Company (6 Batt., Royal Norfolk Regiment) up the Aylsham Road, to the battalion鈥檚 depot opposite the 鈥淧rospect Tavern鈥�. My Grandfather bought dad a pint of beer and put it in his canteen. After that I went to see my aunty who lived in Grimsby Street to hear the Prime Minister speak to the nation and tell us that we were off to war with Germany.

When I arrived back home there was a long column of troops in Rose Lane and these troops were being billeted on the householders. My mother took in four soldiers who slept on the floor on a mattress. That night the siren went off so we all put our gas masks on until the sounding of the 鈥渁ll clear鈥�. That was the end of day 1.

Date:approximately May 1941

I was a pupil at the Crome School, Thorpe Hamlet which overlooked the city of Norwich. I happened to look out of the window and saw this German bomber ,鈥淎 Fly Pencil鈥� (they were very slender hence the fly pencil). We saw the bombs fall from the plane. Later we found out that they had hit Boulton and Paul at Riverside Road. My friend鈥檚 dad was killed in that air raid. My friend was away from school for about 3 months.

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