大象传媒

The first bombs I remembas during the blitz. We lived on a backing on to a railway line. The bread baskets were dropped regularly mainly on the railway but those that missed often found their way into our garden. Many times when the airraid warning went we hardly had time to get to the anderson shelter in the garden. One day in August, I remember it very clearly because it was my birthday, the warning went and my mum and I took off down the garden to the shelter and halfway down I began crying My doll my doll, it must not get bombed on.(I had been given a doll for my birthday all beautifully dressed by my grandmother and I really wanted it) There was no pacifying me so my mother had to run all the back to the house to fetch the doll. I still have that doll today rather battered and bruised but still in one piece stuck together in many places. The next bomb I remember was a landmine. Quite often there was not time to get into the anderson shelter in the garden but had to make do with the cellar instead. One night a landmine fell on the house opposite and had we had not been in the cellar it would have demolished us too.We had to move after this but the bombs kept following us around. The next ones I remember very clearly were the Doodlebugs or V 2s. These looked like an areoplane in the sky with a light flashing, you could hear them too. All the children would run into the street or garden when we heard it with a saucepan or frying pan and as soon as the light went out you knew it was going to drop out of the sky. Every started banging their pans so that all the mums would run for shelter! The next and final bomb was the rocket or V2. this was far more sinister as you suddenly heard it and with no warning at all it fell. Ther was no time to shelter any where only pray. It was then that my mother decided that perhaps I should be evauated! I was packed offto Bristol to distant relations who were complete strangers until almost the end of the war. I absolutely hated there with no electricity no bathroom a toilet down the bottom of the garden and schooling almost non existent. At least at home we went to school even though we spent much of the time in the corridor sitting behind a brick wall.My stay in Bristol was cut short thank goodness because I cautght measles AND I got fleas. It seemed to be the normal thing ther and every night we were combed and these horrible THINGS popped out all over the newspaper. As we all shared the same comb and I believe the same towels wenever got rid of them. Having written to my mother telling her all this she came posthaste and I was back with the bombs!

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