大象传媒

I have a number of memories from the war time years. I was a member of the Boy's Gymnastics Club for around 5 years. I remember Celebration Day on June 8th at Mill Meadows. It poured with rain and everyone got soaked! We managed a couple of gymnastic displays between downpours but when we returned to the tents our clothes were drenched. We were attending a special tea laid on for us to which the Mayor Mr Canvin was coming to give us a special thank you, so I had to borrow my Dad's best suit. It was far too large so I rolled up the trousers and carried the jacket.

I remember one occasion walking from Bedford to Renhold to give a gymnastics display and pulling a cart with our equipment both there and back! I also performed at the Festival Hall.

As a 14 year old walking to Clapham Road School one day we heard a plane overhead 'That's a German' one of us said. It can't be - not at 9 in the morning we declared. It was only as the bombs started falling and we all fell to the ground that we realised he had been right. We witnessed Ashburnham Road, the railway sidings and Midland Road all bombed.

Between the ages of 10 - 13 I remember watching the bombers take off from Thurleigh. Counting them out and counting them in with parts of the aircraft missing - engine, tail or wings.

There was the German bombing of the Russell Park Area and in particular Laxton's Orchards. Mr Laxton was quite a wealthy man with his own air raid shelter. However on this occasion he decided to stand in his orchard and watch. The bombs fell on his land and he was killed. It's been said that the Germans mistook the greenhouses for factories which was why the orchards were demolished

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