大象传媒

I was born in Old Whittington and although very young at the time of WW2 I have many memories. The blackouts spring to mind and the council coming down the street sawing off the railings, the pig bins, collecting pans, scrap metal and the air raid shelters, of going to the panto in Sheffield after the blitz and of brown gum paper on the classroom windows.

One other vivid memory was of my father, George William Cuttriss, he was called up when in his late thirties and served in the Royal Artillery, he had various postings, Pembroke Docks, Falmouth, Romney Marshes, Dover. Latterly at Aldebrugh Suffok where he was engaged with shooting down "Doodlebugs". When he came home on leave he used to sit me on his knee and draw one as well as the guns used to shoot them down.

During the war mother took my brother and I to Nottingham to stay with our Grandmother. I can remember going into a large brick shelter, which was built in the middle of the street, it was quite big and made of reinforced concrete, sufficient to accommodate the whole neighbourhood. We also went on holiday in Norfolk to be near my dad, he met us at Liverpool Street station in London. I can remember travelling to Norwich behind a steam engine called "The City of London" it was a streamlined engine of the L.N.E.R. All engines were painted black during the war years.

When we went to Norfolk we stayed with the family of a friend of my dads who was stationed in Chesterfield with a searchlight battalion. He used to take us down to the nissan huts where they had silhouettes of aeroplanes on the ceiling so that they could recognise them in the searchlights.

When we went to Norfok we stayed in the gamekeepers cottage with the gamekeepers family. This cottage was remote, 2 miles from R.A.F. Swannington. There was no electricity, it was candles to bed and no running water a pump was the only supply. We used to sit up in the bedroom watching the Mosquito aircraft taking off on night raids as well as the Barn Owls raiding the wild life. On one occassion a Mosquito, which was returning from a mission, crashed in a cornfield and caught fire, we all rushed across the field as the fire tenders were coming down from the camp. We found a forage cap and kept it as a souvenir, although I believe it could have belonged to the fire crew.

I was able to return last year although the runway is still visible most of the buildings are derelict.

When the war ended my dad came home and brought two wooden carved Spitfires, all authentically painted, these were placed on the mantle shelf along with two brass ashtrays made from shell cases.

There were of course many parties and as a child I was absolutely fascinated with the collections of memorabilia as soldiers, sailors and airmen returned to "Civi Street", tins full of badges, buttons, shrapnel etc. We also had a wedding to celebrate on our street between a soldier and his Maltese girlfriend who had come back with him to England.

I have many photographs to support my memories and although I cannot recall any shooting or bombing I can remember the drone of the German Bombers going over to Sheffield and of course the sirens.

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