大象传媒

One night during the Blitz, I decided to go a cinema in Kilburn. I鈥檇 seen the film and I was returning home, and although I was living in Golders Green I got a bus to Cricklewood, then I got a trolley bus from Cricklewood to Golders Green.

On the first half of the journey I was using this bus which terminated at Cricklewood Broadway. We drove along from Kilburn through to Cricklewood, and as we reached the terminus at the Crown Pub at Cricklewood, I went to get off- in fact I was the only customer together with the Conductor and the Driver. Anyway, we got off the bus and there was a white-faced Inspector, and he asked us what we thought was a silly question, 鈥渉ave you just come from up there?鈥� (Pointing up the road from which we鈥檇 come).

鈥淲here do you think we鈥檝e been?鈥� Replied the Conductor, as it was obvious we had, and he said 鈥渨ell did you see that Land mine up there?鈥� We said 鈥渨ell, no we didn鈥檛 see any land mine - otherwise we might have stopped and gone round it!鈥� It turned out that there was a landmine. It had been hanging on a tree on an avenue of trees that we鈥檇 just passed on the main road just prior to the Broadway, we鈥檇 just driven past it 鈥渨hoosh鈥� straight past obliviously!

We got away with that one, like we did on many other occasions.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Becky Barugh of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Bill Kendall and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Bill's stories:

• Chipolatas and Chips
• Doody
• Given a bit of cheek
• High-Tailed it home
• How it all began
• I was BKFJ434
• 鈥橪et him go and let him tarry鈥�
• In a split second timing
• Oranges and Lemons
• Rotten Bananas
• Waste not, Want not
• It was coming straight for me
• Tiny and Shiny
• Free post
• Time just came and went
• No. 1 London

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