- Contributed byÌý
- cornwallcsv
- People in story:Ìý
- Harvey Pentreath; Mr Pentreath Snr
- Location of story:Ìý
- Thames Valley, England
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A6232033
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 20 October 2005
This story has been written onto the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War site by Cornwall CSV Storygatherer, Martine Knight, on behalf of Harvey Pentreath. His story was given to the Trebah WW2 Video Archive, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2004. The Trebah Garden Trust understands the terms and conditions of the site.
My father worked on the family fishing boat and in mining down Levant mine. He later joined Trinity House, left Cornwall for London and eventually joined the Thames division of the Metropolitan Police and that is where we were when war broke out.
The early part of the war didn’t affect us much, but once the bombing started that changed. One particular memory is of being in the garden and looking up to see the sky absolutely full of planes using the Thames to navigate to London. They were very low and had their lights on.
On a similar occasion my father jumped on the roof of the Anderson shelter and, with his Police .303 rifle, started shooting at the planes. He got into trouble afterwards as it was the only rifle and box of ammunition in the division.
VIDEO DETAILS HELSTON 07:16:20 — 07:23:
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