大象传媒

Mrs Ebdon is willing to have her story entered onto the People's War website and agrees to abide by the House Rules of the B.B.C..

I think sometimes that those of us who were children during World War are "forgotten". My memories are a bit sketchy, we always carried our gas masks to school and if the siren sounded we had to leave the school and run to various homes in nearby roads i.e. Saxon Road, Norman Road etc, and then back to school when the all clear went off. I remember sleeping in Morrison shelters on many occasions and my mum was always concerned if the bank where she worked would still be standing when she went there at 6 a.m. next morning as it was near the Cathedral. I also remember a raid when my dad who was in the R.A.F. must have been home on leave and he came into my and my brother's rooms (one under each arm) and as the door closed behind us the ceilings fell down.

During the Exeter blitz my mum and my brother and I were with my gran (who was totally deaf) under stairs in Grendon Buildings, and 2 of my uncles were P.T. 'fire fighters' in King Street, Sun Street, and they would come back periodically to see if we were alright. Sometimes we would stay at grans overnight and then my brother and I would make our way to mum at the bank (she was a cleaner) and then she would see us on to the bus to Heavitree School. One day I'd come from my home in Peryam Crescent to go for a walk and a man shouted at me to get down on the ground just as a German plane came low overhead.

At the end of the war we had a street party in Peryham Crescent.

I can't think of anything else at the moment. I hope what I've said may be of some use to you.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.