大象传媒

Growing up in the war was a fast forward process. When the warning siren sounded and our parents said jump into the shelter, we jumped. Our shelter was an Anderson one. Like all our neighbours, we had them dug deep onto the bottom of our gardens, at the backs of our houses. Living on one of the hills looking down into what we called the Cardiff basin, we were very lucky to escape the heavy bombing. When the 鈥榓ll clear鈥� sirens sounded, we had an excellent view of the aftermath in Cardiff. The fires and the arid stench of the choking smoke, caught at our lungs.

It was only our Mama who used to join us in the shelter. My Dad was an Air Raid Warden and we worried about him being outside in the night. Often the sight of our big, cuddly, much loved Mama, struggling through the small opening of our shelter, clutching to her bosom, a very old shabby school satchel was too much.
She would never part with it and in a fits of giggles we would ask 鈥渨hat have you got in there Mama?鈥� the stern answer always came, 鈥済rowing up things, none of your business.鈥� Until one very heavy bombing attach, she answered 鈥渋n here are my marriage and your birth certificates and life insurance policies鈥�. At this we fell about laughing again. After this, with a tear in her eye, she said 鈥淚 expect I do look odd, carrying this silly thing around with me鈥� and joined in laughing.

One night my Mama awakened us all, 鈥渋ts okay, don鈥檛 be frightened, you are quite safe, but I want you to see this.鈥� Hearing the heavy drone of the laden bombers, I expected to hear the firecrackers of the fighter planes, but no. 鈥淟ook out of the window鈥� my Mama insisted. Looking out of the small pane of glass in the bedroom window at the dark sky, there were no lights, not a star to be seen. Then I saw them coming from the north, wave after wave of very heavily laden bombers, black outlined in arrow formation. The unnerving drone of the bombers went relentlessly on and on. Mama, looking at our staring solemn faces, said 鈥測ou are watching history at this moment. I don鈥檛 know how or where they are going, but these are our planes. They will be turning this war around tonight. Say a prayer for all the men in those planes and remember them.鈥� The next day the world exploded. It was D-day, 6 June 1944. When I now see big, bright, twinkling stars hanging low in a dark velvet sky, I remember! And I say 鈥淭hank you鈥� to those who put the stars back in the skies!

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