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This story was submitted to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War site by Wymondham Learning Centre on behalf of the author who fully understand the site's terms and conditions.

I lived on The Lizard and it was when I was delivering papers down Long Row for Mrs. Felstead, newsagent of Damgate Street, Wymondham, that I was told war had been declared.

My brother, Bob, had joined the Royal Air Force and was on leave in the garden with my father and me when he suddenly threw father on the ground who shouted, ‘You’re crazy boy’, but Bob had seen a Jerry plane coming over, firing away, and probably saved father’s life.

The Germans dropped twelve bombs, starting at the Rec down Browick, across the Rec and Meadows; one behind The Lizard; one behind the houses on The Lizard; one on the road; one each side of the railway tracks — but missed the line altogether. A land mine dropped on Fryer’s Meadow at Browick, about the same time as another one on Jack Bray’s farm at Long Road, Silfield and another one near the Suton Sawyers Pub. The mines came down on parachutes.

I remember the doodlebug coming over with red flames coming out of the back, which went out when the engine stopped and down it came, but I can’t remember where

Home Guard

Fred Long and three other Home Guard members were dug in under the bridges protecting The Lizard, as the Army were holding a mock invasion to test the defences. A tank rolled up, Fred jumped out of the hole brandishing a broom handle (no rifles had been issued at this time) and shouted ‘Bang, Bang, you’re all dead’. The soldier said ‘Get back in your hole you silly ole bugger’ but, all the same, it showed the Home Guard were on the ball.
Father kept an allotment and a cow so we did all right for grub, we had ferrets so had plenty of rabbit meat.

I left school at fourteen and worked at the C.W.S. Factory for 9s.2d. a week. I paid 6d pension fund and Mother had a good whack of it but she bought my clothes and I didn’t have much left of that, but we never took any harm.

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