大象传媒

When my mother was a young married woman she lived in a sreet called Gatefield Street in Crewe.In war time this was an armaments town,where tanks were made.This story takes place on a Monday morning when mum was preparing to do the washing .She went outside to fill the coal scuttle at the coalhouse at the end of the yard.On her way back she heard the sound of a planes engines overhead and looked up .She was able to see the pilot in the plane,his goggles and his helmet because the plane was flying so low.As she looked at the plane she sought out some way of identifying the country of origin,and she saw a sort of cross on the underside of the wings.Idly speculating on whether this was a Canadian plane, she entered the house crossing the kitchen and placing the scuttle by the fire.She filled the shovel with coal and was just about to throw this onto the fire when there was an enormous 'crump' and the whole house shook ,mum fell up the fire with a yell. Hauling herself out she ran to the door,flung it open and ran out into the street.Other people were gathering in the street,calling to each other in worried voices.Mum said 'we could see the flames from the works' all the women started to ran the half mile to the gates .They were met by chaos ,fires raged,rubble lay spewed over twisted metal ,and the bodies were starting to be carried out.Dad waslucky he escaped to work another day.Quickly reasuring Mum he rushed back into the burning building,to help others get out.Everybody did this when there was a disaster ,they did it without thinking about it,whatelse could you do.

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