- Contributed by听
- brssouthglosproject
- People in story:听
- Shirley M Whittard and family
- Location of story:听
- Fishponds, and Bedminster, Bristol
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4294145
- Contributed on:听
- 28 June 2005
Before my father went into the Army there was no transport, and he used to cycle everywhere. He'd heard that a bomb had fallen into my aunt's road in Bedminster, so he bicycled straight over there, and when he got there the terraced houses had gone down like a pack of cards. He was sure they were alive, and he wanted to try to get them out, but the police had cordoned it off, and wouldn't let him in in case of looting, so he came back home heartbroken.
He went over again next day and all the bodies were laid out in the local chapel. He had to identify them, and they were there. There wasn't a mark on them, and he was convinced he could have saved them. Then he had to get in touch with their precious only son, who was an officer in the army. He was serving abroad, but eventually he got home to sort out the business.
While he was here he married his childhood sweetheart and he had a 48 hour honeymoon, and returned to duty, and was never heard of again. He got killed in action. My elder brother inherited all his batallions of lead soldiers, hundreds of them.
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