大象传媒

Sardines In A Canterbury Anderson Shelter

It was 1st June 1941, I was seven years old, living in 15 Querns Road, St Martin鈥檚 Hill, Canterbury with my mother, my brother Richard and my Dad. Peggy, the eldest one, she was a trainee nurse at the Kent and Canterbury hospital.

It started about 10 o鈥檆lock in the evening. I heard the sirens, then the bombs dropping and the guns going. It was a tremendous sound because in the playing fields at the top of martin鈥檚 Hill they had four sets of Beaufort Guns. We was evacuated out of the house and into the Anderson Shelter half way down the garden by my mum and my dad. It was pitch dark. You could see the flashes of the guns.
A few of the houses in Queens Road were bombed by firebombs and set fire to. My Dad and other men who were all members of the Home Guard at the time evacuated children and mothers out of the burning houses into the Anderson Shelter that we were in This went on 鈥榯il about five in the morning when the siren sounded all clear. We had slept on and off. I felt comfortable but not frightened. It was more of an adventure.

We all came out and imagine our surprise when we saw that there were thirty-nine ladies and children there! It鈥檚 only meant for six people. Six foot by eight foot and six foot high. There were dogs and cats in there too!

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

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