大象传媒

((A story told to me by my Mother Mrs Doris Bennett, sadly deceased))

It was the cold winter months of 1941. I was born in the Jan of that year, and I lived with my mum and dad in Mount Street just off Barrowby Rd in Grantham it was a cul-de-sac with just a few back to back houses in it, with the back of a big house opposite no.5. Next door to us lived Mr and Mrs Graham, my Godparents. Mr Graham worked at the Labour Exchange, he was moved through his job to Grantham from Sheffield and I remember much later in my life how differently they spoke, he also played the violin with a handkerchief under his chin. We could hear it through the walls of our house, but some of the time he played in the garden.

I was only a very young baby and it was in the middle of the night when the sirens went off warning of a bomb attack by the German planes that were after the railway line and MARCO鈥檚 and Barford鈥檚 factories that made guns and ammunition and Bren Gun Carriers. My mum picked me up and started to head for the underground air raid shelter that had been built in the cul-de-sac using part of the cellar of the big house. There was a demanding loud bang on the front door as my mum ran downstairs with me in her arms, sirens still shrilling. It was Mr Graham checking that we were going to the shelter. My Dad was a home Guard Warden and fire watcher and was on duty that night, his rifle and steel helmet hung on a hook at the back of the door at the bottom of the stairs when he was not on duty.

It was snowing as we went out to cross over to the shelter, there were families who lived next to each other walking in a hurried yet careful way down the slippery steps into the ground under the big house and hopefully to safety, some were in nightwear a few had put coats on. Mr and Mrs Graham were dressed and were standing just inside as my mum and I came into view walking down the dangerous steps, snow was on my mum鈥檚 hair and she was showing that cold had already taken hold. She had not dressed, what time she had was getting items in a bag for her new son as we could have been sown there for some time, so she had only put a mac over her nightwear.

Mr Graham鈥檚 face lifted as he saw me and my mum walking into view towards him, at that very moment my mum鈥檚 face changed and a look of panic and fear came over her young face, and she immediately thrust me into my Godfather鈥檚 arms and turned tail to run back up the wet stairs and out into the cold snowy dangerous night with sirens still screaming. Other people looked concerned and worried at this action as bombs could drop any time. After what seemed a lifetime my mum was back but it was only minutes in real time, she was trembling and out of breath and quite pale.

She took me from Mr Graham鈥檚 arms and looked straight into his eyes and beyond and an unspoken message passed between them. He knew immediately what had made my mum rush back home; she had forgotten to put her knickers on before leaving the house. Later my mum said if she was going to die she wanted to die with them on.

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