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I was born in 1935 so when the war broke out I was only 4. I was born in Canning Town in East London. My two elder brothers were evacuated in 1940 to St Ives in Cornwall. Not long after this my mother, younger brother and me were bombed out. We were sent to a convalescent home somewhere in Norfolk. From there, my mother, brother and I were given a house in a place just outside of Norwich. When we were settled my mother wanted my two elder brothers with us. By this time my father was in the army. I cannot remember how my brothers came to us from Cornwall, but my brother said my father brought them down to Norwich.

In 1940 a light plan crashed in the meadow behind our cottages. The pilot was killed; he was some relation to the local doctor.

A unit of soldiers was sent to clear the mess from the crash. I could have been about 6 or 7 years old. We children went to see what was going on in the meadow and I was one of them. One of the children picked up a piece of metal and when he threw it down it caught me on the side of my left leg. I had a bad gash and one of the soldiers dressed it. I still have the scar to this day. Not long after this my father was sent overseas and my mother brought us all back to London. We stayed with my grandparents until we were given a house. We spent the rest of the war in London

During our time in Norwich, my eldest brother George was taken ill with appendicitis, no doctor was on duty so the district nurse came in to him and his was rushed into hospital in Norwich. My father got leave and he and my mother went to see him but he had complications and died. He was 10 years old.

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