´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Tony Denny.

My Father was a London Auxiliary Fireman in Battersea. The main Fire Station was Este Road near Clapham Junction. He worked at a temporary Fire Station, which was just a few roads away from the main Fire Station. Before the war he had been a motor mechanic and part of his job was to maintain the diesel engines of the Fire Pumps and to maintain the water pressure. His job title was The Pump Man. His hobby was motorbikes, before the war he used to race motorcycles at Brans Hatch. He had two motorbikes one he used for work and the other his pride and joy, he kept in a lock up close to home.

One day he went to work his shift as usual dressed in his civvies. He did not return home for three days.

We know that during this time he was in the Docklands area of London during the Blitz.

On returning home he was wearing his uniform, which was completely soaked and black from soot and muck. My Mother, who was frantic with worry, wanted to know where he had been for three days.

Before coming home he been to put his work bike in his lock up. He discovered that the little wooden lock up had been destroyed. And an unexploded Ariel Mine was hanging by a parachute through the roof and had damaged his special racing bike.

He then returned home. He explained that on returning to the Fire Station after his shift that it was not there anymore there was just a hole in the ground. Everything he had had gone so he came home in his dirty uniform on his Bike which was the only thing that was not destroyed in the bombing.

His comments to My Mother on returning home after discovering the bomb in his lock up was “What have the Germans got against me! What have I done to annoy them? “

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