大象传媒

My twin brother and I were living in Leamington Spa, and were eleven when the war broke out. As a builder my father was directed to South Wales to construct a munitions factory, and so we moved to Newport, where the docks were targeted. About four years later he was sent to London to deal with emergency bomb damage. So we moved to SE London, as the V1 and V2 bombs were starting, into a house which already had its windows blown in.

I went to Goldsmiths Art School, New Cross pending being old enough to join the WRNS or, as it turned out, start at school of architecture. My brother went to engineering college awaiting call up. My poor mother would hear the bombs drop and worry until we got home again. Goldsmiths was hit and all departments were evacuated except the art students and staff who, it was felt, could manage amongst the patched up studios. Dad had been sent south to do hush-hush work which turned out to have been the Mulberry Harbour landing stages.

On VE Day my brother went with friends on an un-blacked out train to central London to celebrate in Trafalgar Square. One of his friends over-excitedly got out on the wrong side of the carriage and was ticked off by the guard.

I went with a group of Blackheath friends to the top of Shooters Hill to see an amazing lit up London! We walked down, arm in arm, singing 鈥済ospel鈥� songs and flashing our torches everywhere.

My future sister in law, Nancy, living in Bournemouth, remembers going with her parents to Kings Park where there were crowds of American soldiers. Their band played, their commanding officer made a speech and with great gusto invited everyone to come and see a 鈥淏all Game鈥�. He was quite crestfallen by his audience's lack of enthusiasm. Little Nancy felt it was all a bit of an anti-climax.

Whilst all this was happening Ken, my then unknown future husband for 51 1鈦�2 years, was still suffering in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Sumatra. Not until three months later was he released with the others who had managed to stay alive. His best friend during that 3 1鈦�2 years became our best man three years later.

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