大象传媒

My dad worked for a shipping company in Hamburg in the Early 1930's seeing the Nazis and Communists fighting in the steets so it came as no surprise when Chamberlains 'Peace in our time' was a false dawn and so volunteered for active service in 1939 at the outbreak of war. He was refused as he wore glasses (Grade B medical) and in a reserved occupation. So he joined the ARP as a Warden (N.London Cricklewood/Willesden area )and was fortunate not to be killed in 1940 when evacuating people from an unexploded bomb it detonated(3 wardens involved 1 killed, 1 lost his legs, my dad luckily only got hit by shrapnel on his tin helmet and had his eardrums blown out by the blast). This reduced him to Grade C medical fitness and so wasn't accepted for military duty til 1942 and only fit for the RAPC eventually managing to get to acting Captain by his discharge in 1946. In the meantime he'd married my mum who'd lost her 1st. love (an RAF pilot - Tony Abelson, shot down over the channel in 1941 I believe). They had their first child, my sister Heather by January 1943 (pictured below)

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