大象传媒

I fondly remember these warm all in one suits that were sold to keep children warm at night when they were woken up when the Air Raid Siren sounded and parents took the children into the shelters or cellars etc. (That is why they were called Siren Suits).

I remember my mum buying mine, which was a bright Royal Blue, from the Department Store in Croydon called Kennards, which is now Debenhams. It was always ready for me to quickly slip on over my pyjamas so that we could get down to the shelter as quickly as possible. They also had hoods to keep your head warm. I really liked mine and it was all fleecy inside with buttons down the front. I remember Mum calling me to get out of bed and pop the suit on.

The Air Raids were mostly at night and sometimes if there was one about 11 o clock we would hear this man, who had come out of the Crooked Billet Pub in Penge quite the worse for drink (and who could blame him as you never knew if you would be alive the next morning anyway) singing at the top of his voice "There'll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover". He sat on a wall near the Ladies and Gents toilets where the Bus Shelter was. The number of the buses were 227. He was probably oblivious of the Air Raid and was feeling quite relaxed. We lived in a 3rd floor flat above Lennards the shoe shop on the corner of Maple Road/High Street in Penge, which was practically opposite the Pub, so we used to hear this man singing regularly.

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