大象传媒

our house was situated on the outskirts of newport, perhaps two miles from newport docks and equidisant from a large aliminium works at rogerstone both prime targets for enemy bombers.
when the war started, i was aged six amd,as children, we believed it would all be over by christmas.

MY MOST VIVID MEMORY

by 1941,we were used to air-raids,the sound of the sirens,being hurried to the air-raid shelter.
but this night was different- I had been woken by plaster from the ceiling falling on my bed and on my face.
no time to reach shelter-we were hustled into the cubbyhole under the stairs.
we were accustomed to normal air-raid noises- the drumming of german bombers engines and the roar of guns.
but this was much worse,much closer- the sound of windows being broken all through the house and tiles being blown off the roof.
THIS WAS THE FIRST(and only) time that i ever saw my father cry - unable to do anything to defend his property.
on the next morning, we learnt that four houses on either side of the main road about 150 yards away had been destroyed by an enemy bomb.
there were several fatalities - the only one i knew personally was my music teacher- she was disabled and probably unable to hurry to safety, she took refuge in a wardrobe whereshe was found next morning by police and wardens.
MORE LIGHT-HEARTED MEMORIES

being a 'casualty' at the first aid post,where our injuries were painted on to allow volunteers to practise their bandaging skills.

assisting the home guards by keeping a look-out from the top of a tree-whilst they relaxed with a cigarette below.

and the black-out, which allowed our gang of four ten/eleven year olds to roam freely in the evenings. it was so easy to dissappear into the blackness, like 'knocking-up ginger' it was all but impossible for adults to discover who was responsible. i can never remember being caught.

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