大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Louise Angell of the CSV Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Derby on behalf of brian Harris. The author fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

I was born in London. I would have been around 3 years old when our house was hit by a doodlebug. luckily we were all in the anderson shelter although we got buried by the force of the blast - my mother, two children and probably a couple of neighbours. My dad was away fighting. 拢 of the houses on the street were demolished. They eventually came with ambulances to dig us out but in the panic to get out mum left me behind. She only remembered aabout me when she was in the ambulance and they had to go back in for me.

Our house was destroyed. The only thing I wanted out of it was a 3 wheeled bike. They dug it out of the ruins and it was fine. I rode around on it for years.

After the house was bombed we went to stay with friends and stayed there for some time. People used to help each other out like that. Although I was too young to remember the incident myself for many years after I couldn't pass a bombed site without the smell coming back to me.

dad was in the RAF. He worked as a 'sparks' and was posted abroad. I didn't remember him as I was so young when he went. He came home in 1945 when I was about 6. I opened the door to this strange man and went and told mum there was a stranger at the door. it was dad. I didn't believe that he was actually my father until he'd bought me a present - a mickey mouse watch he'd bought overseas. I still have it today.

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