大象传媒

This story was submitted to the Peoples War website by Noreen on behalf of Stan and Andy and has been added to the site with their permission. Stan and Andy fully understand the site terms and conditions.

People in Story: Stan and Andy (husband and wife)
Location of story: Dunstable
Background to story 鈥� when they were small children

Andy began her reminisces by referring to going down into the Anderson shelters, in London 鈥� she remembers being wrapped up in a blanket, as were other young friends as they all had the measles. She also remembers eating pear sandwiches, and also other fruit sandwiches, whatever her aunt was able to get 鈥� she was about 7 years old.

Stan鈥檚 family came from Dunstable 鈥� had moved there as his dad had been injured in WW1 and was not able to work 鈥� his elbow had been shattered in France. There were 8 children in his family. And then they had an older woman and her granddaughter evacuees sent to be with them 鈥� 9 children and 3 adults, in a 3-bedroom house 鈥� a lot of the other families were from the Rhonda valley in Wales 鈥� about 50 houses in total.

Stan talked about coming home from school when he was about 9 and hearing huge 鈥渞at a tat tat鈥� noises, then seeing a plane overhead, dive bombing as it went 鈥� he and his school friend watching in amazement, until a ARP warden came rushing up and dragged them into an air raid shelter. The plane was trying to get back to Germany by following Watling Street, and later crashed nearby.

There was 1 man on a nearby roof, monitoring plane activity - he stared in amazement at the plane, which was shooting all along the road, and he suffered a bullet through his cheek and out the other side of his mouth 鈥� he was the only person injured.

Stan鈥檚 mum worked hard all her life 鈥� baking days, washing days and bread making days, using old black leaded range, and washing blankets in the bath 鈥� tiny woman, but she never complained.

The isolation hospital The Priory was nearby, and there was an ACK-ACK battery, which meant lots of bombs dropped in the area, as they were also near to Vauxhall. Stan remembers scrumping apples nearby when a German bomber came overhead 鈥� he was with a bunch of his mates, just being young lads!!!

Andy remembers selling her sweet coupons 鈥� E鈥檚 and D鈥檚 鈥� to teenager who was working and was able to pay her for them.

Stan remembers huge holes in the fields around, from unexploded bombs that had been dropped 鈥� they were very deep in the ground 鈥� large cylindrical shape.

He can remember a mate of his, Gilbert Orleans, seeing an American Flying Fortress coming over Dunstable Downs 鈥� he saw the gunner in the turret and then the plane dropped to the ground with the gunner and the gun in one piece 鈥� he was still alive 鈥� Gilbert ran as fast as he could to the Police to get help - he was later given an award for saving the American airman and the pilot.

They both remember regularly seeing a policeman at the end of their street when it was dark 鈥� you could always go to them for help, especially if young girls were out at night.

Stan says lots of the war movies seem very real, and show life 鈥渏ust like it really was鈥� during the war years

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