大象传媒

1. I would be about 12 years old when, in the school playground,children were astonished and silenced by the sound and then the sight of a very strange aircraft.It came with a huge roaring/whistling sound.We described it later as like a great whistling kettle(who remembers those?) There were no propellers on the machine and it was gone "in a flash".

There was more excitement than usual when the time came to go home. My mother mysteriously remarked "the government must be doing something new in the war effort".. Later we learned that this was a "Jet propelled" plane - obviously Frank Whittle's new invention - part of history.

2.One day whilst standing on a wall - viewing the world I counted over 100 enemy aircraft coming over the horizon in our direction.I dashed to the nearby ARP(Air raid precaution)post and alerted the staff of two!!!!!!The single 'phone immediately started buzzing - three other people rushed to the building.After more mature appraisal of the siutation I was angrily informed that my "100 aircraft" were actually barrage balloons floating serenely over Manchester. We all make mistakes!!!!!!!

3.I was with an adult group of people when news came over the radio that atom bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.There was silence for a moment and then one woice was raised - fervent,sincere and an involuntary comment for that moment. "Thank God it's over - that finishes it". So it did - World War 2 was dramatically ended in that way.

Minutes later the realisation began to dawn of the enormous catastrophe that had been inflicted on those people - and of the potential threat for the future.

Thanks for the oportunity - many more "Stories" could be told.

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