大象传媒

I was five years old when the war broke out. I remember the sirens going on that Sunday morning and every one in Stanley Road where I lived went out into the street.
I lived with my gran and my two Aunts Lil and Ede. That Sunday my Gran was crying when the sirens went, I thought it was exciting.
Soon there were air raid shelters being built in the street. After the builders went home we children of the street use to play in them. When they were finished the only people that used them were the local girls and visiting servicemen. When the shelters were built a firewatching post was set up and my Auntie Ede was a firewatcher. She had to go down at night, I think it was once a week, and sign a book, and once she said I could go with her. This must have been abour 1942. So I was still very young and found the war exciting. I use to collect shrapnell from the streets after an air raid. To be allowed to stay up late and go firewatching was a great adventure. I had to go to bed at my usual time but was awakened in the middle of the night. I use to sleep in a little bed under the stairs as it was safer. We did not have a shelter in the garden as many of our neighbours did but we did have one in the kitchen I think it was called a morrison and gran and the aunts went in there when there was a raid.
On this night I was dressed warmly by my aunt and taken out of bed. We went into the scullery(it would be called a kitchen today) and made a flask of tea and some bread and margarine slices and went out of the front door into the street. I remember it as being very cold and the sky full of stars. Auntie Ede held my hand as we walked down the street and told me 'jerry' would be over as it was a 'bombers' moon that night, meaning the moon was so bright and the night so clear that the german pilots would be able to find their way easily.
We had gas masks with us at least we had the boxes round our necks. I had some toys in mine and I think Auntie Ede used hers as a kind of handbag. Our gasmasks were always just left in the house.
The fire watching post was up a ladder at the side of R.J.Walkers removals office. I climbed up after my aunt and we went into a kind of large box like structure which had a table and chair in it. There was a bok on the table and my aunt wrote her name in it then took me back outside and up another ladder and we were on top of the box. it was as high as the roofs of the houses in the street and I was thrilled to be up there.
It was very cold and after a few minutes auntie said we had done enough and could go home now and she would come back in the morning to sign the book again. Just then the sirens went so it was decided we would stay for a while longer in case any incendery bombs were dropped near by. We could hear the low drone of planes but could not see then. Suddenly we could hear the thunder of gun fire and the crash of exploding bombs. In the distance towards London we could see flashes of light and a glow started to appear in the sky. I was too excited to be frightened and cold. I just stood there watching a great display of searchlights gun flashes and the glow of distant fires.
Occasionaly an air raid balloon would be seen in the search lights. They glowed silver and I thought they were wonderful.
We stayed on the roof for what seemed like hours, I had no idea that I was in any kind of danger because I was with my Aunt Ede and she was a grown up. I realise now that she was only about twenty years old and not much more than a girl.
We ate our bread and margerine and drank our tea all the while watching the night sky over Londen alight with the flames of war.
When the all clear sounded we went down from the roof and home. I was really tired and just wanted to get to bed.
Auntie told me to tell gran that when the sirens went we went into the shelter in the street which was nearer than home.
It was not until after the war that gran was told we stood on the roof and watched one of Londons biggest air raids

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