大象传媒

Memories of W.W.2 on the South Coast as experienced by a Young Man.

I am Jim Sexton who lived in Highlands Road at Seaford in East Sussex. I was almost eleven years old when war was declared. Seaford at the time was a small seaside town. It鈥檚 been known for the number of Private Schools in the town and that it was also a traditional holiday resort.
In the days prior to the Declaration of war, the local T.A. Unit was drilling on the recreation ground People were being informed as to Air Raid precautions, what to do if there was an air- raid. Men and Women were being recruited to act as Air Raid Wardens. Their task was to ensure that no lights from houses would be visible to enemy aircraft flying overhead. .To warn people should there be an attack using Gas. There was also the Civil Defence Corp, there job was to help rescue people from bombed buildings.
People were using various materials with which too blackout their windows to stop any light being seen from outside. Some had blinds or curtains made from very thick material others had plywood shutters made. To reduce being injured by flying glass as the blast from an exploding bomb blew the glass of the windows in; people stuck a series of 2in wide strips of Brown paper diagonally across the glass. Gas Masks, everybody was given one. It had to be carried around with you. Originally they were given to you in a cardboard box, that quickly wore out. My parents brought specially made circular tins with lids in which to carry the mask around.
In the summer months prior to the war the 1st Seaford Scouts of which I eventually became a member was asked to set up two camps at each end of the cliffs of the Seven Sisters. Their task was to patrol the cliffs of the Seven Sisters and spot any un-authorised people landing from a boat. As a boy I was told that opposite the entrance to the river Cuckmere was a sunken German submarine from the 1st war.
War had Been declared and within an hour the Air -Raid warning was sounded. The warning sound of the siren was 鈥� a wavy note鈥�; the 鈥渁ll clear 鈥� was a continuous noise at one level for about a minute. I was in the town at the time and had been told by my parents to come straight home .The Air. Raid. Wardens were getting people to get under cover and to safety .The alarm had covered the whole of South East England, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity .As the war progressed people only went to safety if danger was imminent. The Local Authority schools in the town were having air -raid shelters built. At the Seaford Modern school off Arundel Road they used large diameter Concrete sewer pipes half buried in the ground laid end to end and covered with soil. At this time the ordinary house鈥檚 in the town lacked air raid shelters .If bombs did drop you were told to get into the cellar [if you had one] or in the cupboard under the stairs.
In the weeks that followed the declaration of war, children in the major cities of England were evacuated to safe area .We had children from the East End of London sent to Seaford. The children were boarded out amongst people in the town. If you had a spare room you were expected to take a couple of children. My mother took two young sisters. It was quiet a problem, the girls constantly wet the bed and Mum had to hand wash all the bed linen and often couldn鈥檛 get it dry, washing machines and dryers were yet to come. There was also a problem over schooling. The number of children in the town had doubled. It was arranged that the local children attended the proper school in the mornings and then went to one of the various Church halls in the afternoon. In the hall you would sit in a circle around the teacher, each class had its own part of the hall, you couldn鈥檛 do much because there wasn鈥檛 any equipment, not even to write because there wasn鈥檛 any desks or tables. When it seemed that the Germans were going to Invade through the Low Countries and
France, the Evacuees were sent to another part of the Country that was considered safe. Shortly afterwards we ourselves were evacuated and the schools closed. The official destination was the town of Bedford. . My parents had friends from the first war who lived at Wheatley near Oxford and they invited us to stay with them, which we did. Another change of school. We stayed there several months, Mum was very unhappy, Mrs Allen our host was more concerned about the lack of rainwater to do her washing, than the war. At this time London was being badly bombed, on a clear night you could see the flashing of the Anti aircraft guns and the bombs exploding. One night there was a knock on the door, it was my Mothers sister and her children, and they had fled from London because of the bombing. Eventually they were found a place to live in the village. A lot of people who lived in the South East with relations in London thought they would be safer in London and so evacuated there, only to find that it wasn鈥檛 so.
Back in Seaford nothing seemed to be happening and Mum being unhappy, my parents decided that we should return home. Many others, who had been evacuated, also returned. The Local Authority schools were still closed. The Germans started their advance across Europe and the eventual the evacuation of Dunkirk. A considerable number of troops landed at Newhaven and were billeted in empty houses around the area .The houses were empty because people had left them ,when the order was originally given to evacuate non essential people from the area .The many private schools in Seaford were also empty for the same reason. These were to be later occupied by both Canadian and English soldiers.
Following Dunkirk we witnessed the Battle of Britain. The summer skies were mostly clear of cloud. Although the aerial fighting was taking place over East Sussex and Kent you could see the vapour trails of the fighting aircraft as they weaved in the sky. The Air Raid warning had sounded but people didn鈥檛 seem to worry .Had the fighting been overhead that would have been a different story.
We now started to prepare for invasion. The beach from Seaford cliff to Newhaven was covered with metal scaffolding to try and stop German landing craft from coming ashore. It was also said, that the beach was mined. The sea wall was covered with barbwire It wasn鈥檛 possible to get to the sea for a swim .As was usual in those times a sea side town of Seaford鈥檚 size wouldn鈥檛 have a public swimming pool because we were at the sea side so didn鈥榯 warrant pool . One or two private houses did have a pool and through the Scouts, we managed to get an ocassional swim Throughout the Southeast and Southern England the names on road signs and railway stations were obliterated so that should the enemy land they would have difficulty in finding out where they were.
The Local Authority schools did not open for many months later, I believe it was early autumn. At the time of evacuation all the school鈥檚 loose equipment had been sent to Bedford. We couldn鈥檛 have sport because there wasn鈥檛 anything to play with. We seemed to spend lots of our time in-group activities such as gardening or singing .I was tone deaf and flat, so with several others sent to a classroom to read a book
Seaford is very much exposed to the wind blowing up the channel and often we wouldn鈥檛 hear the air raid warning when it sounded because the school was on the then outskirts of the then town. The Head Master on occasions stationed a boy, who was good on aircraft recognition, on the roof of the school and should he spot any German aircraft he was to ring the bell. There was positioned on the lower part of Seaford Head and opposite the bottom of the school playing fields an Anti- aircraft battery of several guns. Often the first warning of an enemy aircraft would be when these guns opened fire, so we dived under the school desks, there wasn鈥檛 time to reach the air-raid shelters in the playing field.

Sometimes we did get to the shelter and our particular Teacher used to read us the stories about Dr Syn the famous smuggler on the Romney Marsh鈥檚 , which I thoroughly enjoyed
In the autumn of 1940, we had delivered our Anderson Shelter. A hole was dug in the garden near to the house . Half the corrugated metal shelter was under the ground, the soil from the hole was then piled on the top. In side was space for four bunks. Un- known to us at the time we were to spend many nights in the shelter. My parents fitted the shelter out to make it as comfortable as possible. When the Germans started to bomb London and other cities , many aircraft would pass over the area as they went to their target and again on their return. You got use to hearing the drone of the engines early in the evening then it was quite for a few hours until they returned on their way home to France. In a way you could have stayed in the house but you never knew if an aircraft might decide to unload its bombs. At least in the shelter you were as safe as you could be. You may ask why wasn鈥檛 there any anti aircraft guns on the coast .I believed it was because they wanted to concentrate the guns they had around the factories and important targets.
All able-bodied men and women in the town not looking after children had to under- take 鈥淔ire watch 鈥� duty. My father had to report to the 鈥淩itz cinema鈥� once a week and stay there all night. Should any 鈥渋ncendiaries bombs鈥� be dropped and start to ignite ,they had to put the fire out. Although not very big an Incendiary bomb ,on being dropped from an aircraft could smash their way into a roof and burst into flame , thus setting the building a light.
There was a great movement to encourage people to put money into National Savings to help the war effort . .There would be the occasional parade through the town comprising of all the people involved in the war . The object being to rally the people towards . Saving enough to buy a Spitfire aircraft, would be the cry.
The scouts would go round collecting waste paper , all for the war effort. Early in the war all metal railings and gates were taken and taken for scrap iron, you had no choice. they were just taken. People were encouraged to give up any items of aluminium including saucepans to help build an aircraft.
Food Rationing had been introduced . My Father with the 鈥淥ff Licence 鈥� had many customers who owned shops and so my Mother had to even out her purchases among them. . In a way it was a good thing because often she would be given a little extra here and there. Some items were rationed by their price and others upon the type of goods .My father grew a lot of food in the large garden. Clothes were also rationed . The thing that I felt the most was the rationing of sweets, once you had eaten your ration that was it for another month.. It must be remembered in the 1940鈥檚 a lot of food was seasonal .Once the apples crop had been eaten, that was it for another year, unless by chance a boat with a supply of this and that got through the German Blockade.
Eventually the Germans changed their tactics. It was what you could call,鈥� hit and run鈥� .We had a period of low cloud and mist combined with rain. The German aircraft would come in low over the sea , couldn鈥檛 be detected on the Radar , drop some bombs did some machine gunning and flew back to France , it was all over in a matter of seconds.
Earlier in 1941 my Uncles house called ,鈥淲inton 鈥渋n Cornfield Close was destroyed in such a raid. My Aunt was at home on her own and luckily was only shaken up. The aircraft flying in very low dropped its bomb in what was the grounds of Seaford College .The bomb went along the ground rose into the air and landed on my Uncles house some half a mile away . Our house is just a few yards away from my Uncles . We were having lunch at the time . The German plane was also machine gunning on hearing the noise we divide under the table and as the bomb exploded the glass from our windows showered in on us. The struts at the front of the house supporting the roof had been damaged by

machine gun bullets. There hadn鈥檛 been any warning of the attack. I do not know for what reason but I was at home when this attack took place . My brother Alan was at school in the centre of town and heard that houses in Highlands Road had been bombed and on coming home was stopped by a Policeman saying he couldn鈥檛 go into the road, Alan replied,鈥� I live here鈥� , he replied ,鈥測ou did鈥�, he said , luckily we only lost the windows of the house .
Opposite my Uncles house there lived three elderly Maiden sisters. the Miss鈥檚 Buck. Their house having been damaged, for their own comfort they moved into rooms in Vicarage Walk [ Sutton Road]A few weeks later , one Sunday afternoon the town was attacked by several hit and run raiders. Considerable damage was caused through out the town centre and many people were killed including the three sisters. The house in which they were living had a direct hit. A block of flats now occupies the site. .Although our house in Highlands Road was only a short distance away from the bombed houses in Vicarage Walk ,the trees between us diverted the blast and our house wasn鈥檛 damaged .For a day or so the sun seemed to be golden , this was caused by the dust from the bombed buildings that had risen into the air.
In August 1942 the Dieppe Raid took place. In the days prior to the operation the area around Newhaven and Seaford was full of troops and their equipment . Newhaven harbour was full of ships to take the troops across the channel. The area was saturated with light Anti aircraft guns, after the raid they were taken away. It was sad that so many Canadians were lost.
At the latter end of 1943, In addition to the troops already in the district there arrived units of the 鈥淐ommando鈥檚鈥�.. There wasn鈥檛 sufficient accommodation available so many were billeted with families. You didn鈥檛 have a lot of choice ,if the people in charge of finding accommodation thought there was space in your house, then you had to accommodate some Commando鈥檚 .In our house there were three bedrooms ,we had two soldiers who used the back twin bedroom .I had the small room and my brother slept in the room with my parents. Frequently there were unannounced callouts in the middle of the night for the Commando鈥檚. The first you know of it was their window at the back of the house being rattled .Often we would have been pre-warned of a call out . In the course of time the Commando units moved around , so we had a change of soldiers living in the house. Often they would be away for several days , perhaps they had been across to France, they would never say, they would just appear back again.
On one occasion we had a vacant bed and the commando that lived with us , had been charged to find accommodation for a Piper. It turned out to be Lord Lovat鈥檚 personal piper whose name was Bill Millin. Each morning, he had to play the Pipes for a short while outside Lord Lovat鈥檚 office window .Naturally the piper had to practice and if the weather were fine Bill would walk up and down the garden . The near neighbours weren鈥檛 too happy at the noise of the pipes. If it rained he would practice in the bedroom with the windows open . On D day and the days that followed Piper Bill Millin distinguished himself by leading the Commando鈥檚 into battle playing the Bag -pipes and not wearing a tin hat , only the Green beret of the Commando鈥檚 It was said that the Germans were demoralised at the noise of the pipes , the dreaded Scots were coming. In the D-Day Museum at Southsea Piper Millin is shown in the Tapestry.
In the month or so before the landing in France ,heavy bombers would go across to France in broad daylight , raiding important targets. Prior to leaving England we could see them circling around Beachy Head as they gathered together , before leaving for France.
In the weeks prior to D-Day the whole of the South coast was full of Soldiers and their vehicles .Every space and building was put to good use. Civilians were not encouraged to travel between towns .Seaford Bay began to fill up with Landing ships and other Naval craft as D-Day approached and then the a couple of days before the landing in France ,they were all gone. There was a constant drone of our Fighters and Bombers over the town flying across the channel to attack various targets and support the soldiers.
German Aircraft that were badly damaged by anti aircraft guns when raiding Cities somewhere in England , on there way home to France would crash .On several occasions some crashed around the Town. One such aircraft landed in the lower part at of the playing field of Seaford Secondary school in Arundel road .As a kid when ever we heard of a crashed aircraft , we went to see if we could get some souvenirs. Usually there was either a Policeman or Soldier on guard.
Shortly after D-Day had began , we were in bed one night and heard a strange noise
coming from the sky that was unknown to us and the occasional explosion , so my parents
got us down into the Anderson shelter for safety.. We learn鈥檛 next morning it was the first of the Flying Bombs or V!. A pilot-less aircraft that had an engine with a bomb attached to it. When the engine stopped the craft would drop towards the ground and the bomb would explode when it hit the ground .The V1s were coming from France and were directed to fly up the up the valleys and onto London. Many flew up the nearby Cuckmere valley .Eventually they placed light anti aircraft guns on the top of the hills sides and their guns fired down onto the incoming V1s.Often you would see the British fighter pilots try to tip the wing of the V1s so as to turn them around so that they went out to sea. If a fighter plane got too close to the V1 and fired its guns , as the bob exploded the force of the explosion would destroy the fighter plane . You couldn鈥檛 but stand and watch as it happened in the sky. If there was a V1 in the sky near you and the engine stopped you dived for cover. A tremendous number of V1s flew over both Pevensey and Romney Marshes.
As the Allied Forces advanced across France the V1s ceased. In September there was a new menace the V2. A rocket with a bomb that went high into the sky. The first thing you knew about it was a sudden violent explosion, there was no warning. The rockets were launched from northern Germany. They couldn鈥檛 be shot down because you didn鈥檛 know they were coming until they landed. Most of the rockets fell in the London area.
In May 1945 we celebrated V.E. day [Victory in Europe] A few months later we celebrated V.J. day , the war in the Far East was over. Next to our house in Highlands Road there was a vacant plot of land . The owner one Mr Shinn decided to have a bonfire to celebrate V.E. day . Such was the bonfire that it burnt throught the telephone cables that crossed his land .Also his son accidentally set light to the box that contained the supply of fire works , so we had a marvellous show

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