大象传媒

Memories of WWII

There are so many memories of the war years from Chamberlain鈥檚 announcements to V.E. and V.J. days. There were good and happy times amongst the bad, but there are two episodes which will never be forgotten.

As a ten year old and living just ten miles from London we were right in the flight path of bombers during the Blitz. Ah! the Blitz! Night after night the drone of planes overhead en-route for London. A battery of naval guns and ack-ack artillery were based in the park at the end of our road just seven houses away and so were also a target for bombers.

One night whilst making the family bed on the floor of our hall, I was behind our front door when suddenly it blew open, throwing me onto the staircase, no sound, just rushing air. Daylight revealed much activity and our road thick in clods of mud, windows broken, roofs and doors damaged but the devastating news was of several houses having collapsed with friends and neighbours killed. A landmine had floated down to a garden just outside the Gun Site. The war was truly with us.

Eveyone was involved in some form of War Effort, children collected shrapnel, mothers knitted for the troops, from school we marched to the local farm to weed the vegetables. Under mother鈥檚 supervision I took part in a National Savings campaign, adopting two streets to visit every Saturday afternoon to sell stamps for the War Effort. I still have a simple certificate presented to us for a special campaign run in 1944, However this certificate has been kept not because of our endeavours, but because on March 10th 1945 one of my streets was devastated by a V.2. that fell silently to the ground, killing so many friends that I had made, including a fireman with his new baby, twins and their mother and most of all a lively bright eyed 15 year old school friend with whom I spent many happy journeys. A day I remember so well.

This all sounds very macabre, but war was a very serious business, as the world is still finding out. But there were happy and social times, the community spirit was great, we knew everyone, and all pulled together, neighbour supported neighbour, but most of all when there was an incident the Civil Defence, air raid wardens and the army came to our rescue with hot drinks, temporary house repairs, repaired gas meters and cheered us with their happy banter.

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