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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Berkshire on behalf of Peter and has been added to the site with his permission. Peter fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

I was 10 years old when WWII started. I was from a family of 8 children and the second youngest being born on West Ham. On the eve of the outbreak of war my parents arranged for us (that included two older sisters and my young sister, plus a nephew and niece) to stay with an uncle and aunt in Swansea, as air raids in London were expected.

Apparently, this arrangement could not conceivably work as there were so many of us, and we returned to London within the week.

Another of my sisters went with her firm in the city of London to Maidenhead to continue with highly classified work. She managed to arrange some accommodation for us in Maidenhead. We then had what we referred to as the ‘Phoney War’ and all returned to London until the bombing started in earnest. My two sisters then went back to the couple they previously stayed with, and I was billeted with a great family with other evacuees. Uncle (as we called him) was a butcher and he had all the ration books from the household at his shop, and I must admit we didn’t go short of food, especially meat. We lived very well that is until uncle was called up and then we had quite a reduction of food, especially meat, on our plates.

My father came to work with DECCA on radio and radar equipment and mother managed to get the council to requisition a flat for all the family in Maidenhead High Street.

I went to St Stephens School in Moor Lane, Maidenhead. This school from West London was in a requisitioned mansion, I believe of the Nicholtons Brewery Family. These, in retrospect, were the best years of my life as a schoolboy, we really had a great time. I stayed until I was 14 years old and the last year was school captain.

In the year 1944 I returned to London as a student at West Ham School of Building. I was there a month when the V1’s came on the scene. In late July ’44 a VI fell on our school just after we had left and did considerable damage — we thought we were lucky as we started our summer holidays early!!

Back at Maidenhead we heard that a fully laden bomber had crashed at Burchetts Green and off we went to explore the site. I have always thought that the 6 of the 7 crew members of the Halifax who perished, deserved some decorations. When you think of the damage that would have been done to towns around had the crew bailed out when they had the opportunity, instead of staying with the plane. At least there is a monument to them at Burchetts Green.

Back in London, unfortunately, the ground floor of the school was repaired, so I had to return to London at the beginning of the term, also back to the V1’s and later the V2’s (rockets) well into 1945.

After a few hair-raising moments with the V1’s and V2’s the war in Europe came to an end.

I must admit I had a miserable time when everyone was celebrating, I was on my own, and could not get down to Maidenhead quickly enough to my parents.

Victory over Japan then came in August 1945, but there’s another story!

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