大象传媒

We lived in Southall and I was just 11 years old when it started. I used to get up early every morning to go shrapnel hunting. My sisters, friends and I used to play in dry bomb craters and bomb damaged houses with blown off doors and broken windows that the owners had left as unliveable.

I left school when I was thirteen and went to T.S. Mercury (a very strict pre-nautical training establishment beside River Hamble.)
My never to be forgotten memory there was being on board one evening when landing craft after landing craft, packed full of soldiers went down the river and we were allowed to go on to our gangway and cheer them as they went past. One or two days later was D. Day!

I felt so guilty just after the war when I became old enough to realise that so many people had been killed, wounded or lost their homes because I had a lovely war with only one scare.

This story was submitted to the People's War website by Helena Noifeld of 大象传媒 Radio Kent and has been added to the website on behalf of Peter Battell with his permission. He fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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