大象传媒

During the latter half of the war my family were living in a requisitioned house at Ealing Common,West London.( see previous story "West London Blitz").
On the day in question, I was travelling on a number 97 bus to the terminus at Ealing Common,
when the bus driver suddenly stopped the bus in the middle of the road.The few passengers and the driver left the bus to look up at the sky.
We were gazing intently at a flying bomb ( doodlebug)as it droned overhead.
In my terror I crouched beside the wooden fence
of a neighbour's house and looked up. Suddenly, when the bomb was directly overhead , its engine
cut and it started to descend! I was petrified but the doodlebug actually glided about three miles and fell on Sanders department store at Ealing Broadway killing many people. We heard the explosion and picking myself up I ran home.
I heard about the casualties later in the day from a family friend who had been having a quiet drink in the pub opposite the department store.
The doodlebug was the fore-runner to the V.2 rocket which gave no warning of its approach.
Many doodlebugs failed the Channel crossing because the Spitfires could fly alongside the doodlebug and with their wings could deflect the stub wing of the doodlebug so that it plunged off-course into the sea.

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