大象传媒

I remember when I was about nine or ten years old, having war effort activities going on. I lived in South Constitution Street and our contribution to the war effort was having concerts in this garage. We all did our bit, I did the singing songs like White Cliffs of Dover, Somewhere in Germany and When They Sound the Last All-Clear. I remember all the ladies crying and during the concert we collected money for the Red Cross to help the soldiers etc. We collected quite a bit.

I loved these concerts, everyone got together and it took your mind off the war, but then the sirens went and we all had to go to the air-raid shelters. It used to be quite good really but of course it was scary. We were never sure if Gerry would bomb us next. Many a whole night was spent in the shelters but we were always made comfortable, our mums saw to that.

Another thing that is still very vivid in my memory is one lunch time walking along South Constitution Street with my Mum when all at once there was this awful droning noise. It was a German bomber and he was flying really low, I looked up and I would say the plane looked positively ugly. I remember my Mum throwing me to the ground to protect me, I think it was something to do with the machine guns. Anyway, the plane flew away towards the beach, I can鈥檛 remember much more but I think it may have been the day Hall Russell鈥檚 was bombed. I was terrified, I do recall that.

I also remember being told that my Dad was away to Dunkirk and he went on a boat and do you know, as a child I would go down to the harbour and watch the boats come in, always expecting him to be on one of them. It鈥檚 strange how a child鈥檚 mind works but these things I remember well.

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