大象传媒

At the outbreak of war, I lived with my Mother Norah, brother Brian, and father Charles in Mitcham in Surrey. My Father was in a reserved occupation and was not at home very much. So it was mainly just the 3 of us. We had an Anderson shelter in the garden and a Morrison shelter inside the house. I remember the Anderson shelter got flooded when it rained which was quite often.

I remember seeing the small dots in the sky during the summer of 1940, which I later found out was the "Battle of Britain". We had anti aircaft guns at the end of New Barns Avenue where we lived. On Mitcham Common boys and girls would collect shrapnel which was sometimes still hot.Mitcham did not suffer as much as the East End, but we had our share.

The title of my story, My Mother's Escape, came during the summer of 1942. I can not remember the exact date, being only 8.
One day when we came home home from school, Mother said she had to go round to "Cousins" General store, in Sherwood Park Road, to get some food urgently. A supply of food had arrived that afternoon.

We were told to stay home as it was only a ten minute walk, and she would not be long. Mother said as she left the shop the Air Raid warning went. There was a street shelter in Sherwood Park Road and my mother was walking by the shelter, when her friend Iris Mills said "Norah, come in the shelter". Mother said she could not as she must get home to the boys.

She had just got in the door when there was a very loud bang! All our back windows were broken and we were all shaken. A few hours later, Mother was told the shelter in Sherwood Park Road had taken a direct hit, ten people were killed including my Mother's friend's mother. Iris was also injured.

My mother until the day she died in 1995, regarded that as her lucky day or perhaps someone was looking down on her.

Derek Brown
(Her Son)
Monday 11th July 2005

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