大象传媒

It was 1941 and I was working as a "breadboy" for the Co-op meaning that we had a horse and cart with a driver and I was the boy that helped the driver and minded the horse when air raids were in progress.
I used to fill a breadbasket and go down one street while the driver,a lady, took the horse and cart down another.
One morning during an air raid I was walking along with my basket of bread and an air raid was in progress. A bomb went off not far away and down the road came a pair of horses with a cartload of bottled beer and no driver, they had been frightened.
When a pair of horses are attached to a cart there is a centre pole to steer the cart with a horse either side attached by chains to the cart.
I still do not know why I did it, but I dropped my basket and ran out in front of the horses. They slowed down a little but still kept coming when I had no choice but to throw myself backwards at the same time as I threw my legs around the pole and grabbed the reins of both horses. I brought the horses to a sitting down position with the pole passing over my body.
I dropped my feet to the ground and held the reins until the horses were on their feet again.
A temporary policeman emmerged from somewhere and came accross to me with the comment "You silly b....r you could have been killed". He was right of course but at that moment a pat on the back or "well done" would have made me feel better. At least, I saved the beer.

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