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This story has been written onto the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War site by CSV Storygather, Martine Knight, on behalf of Wyn Bradshaw, nee Williams, and George Williams. They fully understand the terms and conditions of the site.

I remember the air raid sirens going off at night and we would have to jump out of bed, fully clothed, put on our wellie boots and run to the shelter about 4 doors down, in a neighbour’s garden.

The Yanks used to supply the schools with milk and powdered chocolate drink. They gave parties for children, but you had to be over five so I couldn’t go.

My sister, Emmy, used to come home with nylon stockings and chewing gum, which she’d got from the Yanks.

George recalls walking along Tavistock Road when a German plane flew over and dropped a load of incendiary bombs along the road. Luckily for him they landed on the left-hand side of the road and he was on the right hand side.
An incendiary bomb once hit our house, but didn’t do any damage.

George worked for a building firm called Wakeham Brothers and the building where they stored all their timber and machinery was hit by incendiaries and completely destroyed.
It took all night to keep wetting the office building down to stop that catching fire.
Having put in a claim for damage to his clothing George was given a suit which was awful — it felt as if it was made of cardboard !

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