- Contributed byÌý
- cornwallcsv
- People in story:Ìý
- Mr K Bray
- Location of story:Ìý
- Falmouth, Cornwall
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A8210648
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 03 January 2006
This story was entered onto the Peoples War website by Rod Sutton on behalf of Mr. K Bray, the author, who fully understands and accepts the sites terms and conditions.
As a boy aged 8 ½ years at St Agnes in 1940 I can remember a German Bomber dropping bombs in Dr Whitworth’s field and members of the Home Guard shooting at the plane with rifles.
We moved to Falmouth and lived in Killigrove Street in 1942. The year before three houses were bombed and destroyed and left in ruins at the back of our house and the pub next door. I can remember us having a Morrison Shelter under the kitchen table where during the nightly raids on Falmouth the family had to go into the shelter. I can also remember one night a load of incendiary bombs being dropped and three fell in our house — one on the landing, one in the attic and one in the outside lavatory. The A.R.P wardens knocked on all the doors and we had to go to the A.R.P. shelter at the recreation ground until the all clear was given to return to our house. Also below our house was Tonkins Bakehouse after school we would go there and get the scraps etc that were left over from the baking of cakes, bread etc.
When the American troops moved to Falmouth there was a small camp at Windsor Quarry where the local boys would go after school and the Americans would give us chewing gum and candy. I can also remember when the Germans bombed the oil tanks at Swanvale. Great clouds of black smoke hung around for days afterwards, I think it was about seven days before the fire was put out.
When the war ended we were given two days of from school.
© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.