大象传媒

During, and for some years after the war, the local government was run by the 鈥淥rpington Rural and Urban District Council鈥�.

This was the largest local government unit in England, apart from a few Yorkshire areas consisting of mostly barren moors and sheep. Being on the south flank of London, it was a regular dumping ground for German bombs when unescorted bombers were 鈥渏umped鈥� by Hurricanes or Spitfires from the local bases. These included Biggin Hill, Croydon, Manston etc. Several Czech and Polish pilots flew from Biggin Hill, having escaped from their native countries when Hitler invaded them. Also present were a number of Polish soldiers who joined what was to become 鈥淭he R.A.F. Regiment鈥� which guarded the airfields. Because of their sufferings at German hands, these latter were very careful about their duties.

Down the hills from the aerodrome were cottages lived in by retired people, some of whom seemed to consider that the war was none of their business, and tried to ignore it! This meant that they were none too careful about the 鈥淏lackout鈥�.

This was a law by which, at night, nobody was to display any lights visible from above, in the hopes that German night bombers would be unable to find their way. So as the Poles patrolled the perimeter of Biggin Hill at night, they could clearly see houses with defective or non-existent 鈥淏lackout鈥�. There was a ready answer to that! The sentry would take careful aim and try to shoot out the lights until they all disappeared! No complaint could be made as the resident was committing a serious offence by showing any lights at all. As to the 鈥渄umped鈥� bombs, mentioned above, the Orpington Council had a large map on display in the Council Offices, just above the railway station, showing the location of every traceable bomb dropped in the council鈥檚 area. (I wonder what happened to it.)

Just north of Orpington was a satellite 鈥渄ormitory suburb鈥� of Petts Wood. Just north of that was a huge railway junction between Petts Wood to the south, Chislehurst to the north, Bickley to the west and St. Mary Cray to the east. Here two main lines, from London to Dover, crossed with interconnecting lines between the routes.

This was considered important and a battery of heavy anti-aircraft guns was set up to protect it. Now my father, working in Fleet Street, went to work soon after 8.30 p.m., and he swore that the Germans started their raids in time for these heavy guns to start firing just as his train was passing. As he was partly deaf, they must have made quite a racket to cause complaints from him.

Food and farming

Food was rationed, so efforts were made to grow one鈥檚 own extras. We had rabbits in hutches in a shed at the bottom of the garden, so much effort was expended trying to find extra food for them. That is how I learnt to slaughter rabbits with my bare hands, at the age of thirteen. We also had chickens in a run, nearby. Even the cat was part of the war effort as he kept himself in extra rations by hunting down rats and mice that tried to steal the animal鈥檚 food.

My mother, while she lived had contacts with the farming community which was useful. In those days, the housing stopped only half a mile to the south of us, and I often spent the school summer holidays working on a farm for extra pocket money. Has anyone ever come across a 鈥淢iller鈥� built combine harvester? The husband of one of my mother鈥檚 team of nurses had a large farm and held certain patents on these machines, which he put to use in a small factory erected beside the farmhouse in Warren Road at the Chelsfield end.

They made about two machines a year. As you might expect, with a name like Warren Road, there were plenty of rabbits about, a useful addition to the cooking pot. His own harvester had an extra, of course. This was a larger platform at the rear where he would stand with a loader and several guns. As the harvester went round the field, the cover in the centre would diminish and the rabbits would make a dash for cover in the hedges.

Suddenly there would be a roar from the harvester of 鈥淕et that dog out of my line of fire!鈥� The farmhands had brought their own weapons and dogs for retrieval and were lining the hedges, and their dogs would dash into danger. The boss would fire and then simply pass the gun over his shoulder and grab a newly loaded one as it came over the opposite way. The two of them had this down to a fine art.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.