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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Caroline Morgan from Westree Learning Centre and has been added to the website on behalf of Denis Simkins with his permission and they fully understand the site’s terms and conditions.

My earliest memories are of Gasmasks. The cases of these were metal and quite useful when engaging in fights with other children. We had to take them to school and practice putting them on. To this day I can still smell the rubber.

The principal past time was collecting shrapnel and if you had one with German writing on it was the best prize you could have. Unfortunately the best I got was long jagged pieces with no writing on at all!!

You did see some children who had wings — cloth ones from pilots tunics. The best I got was a brooch on the form of wings but it still meant I was a pilot.

My most vivid memories were the V1. When the engine stopped you did not know where it would drop. But the V2’s — they exploded then you heard them coming. In early 45 I was at Tottenham Grammar School. My mother worked at a café and during one lunchtime, while I was in the café one hit and I can remember the plate glass window being taken, as if by a hand, out and dropped in front of me. Although this may seem frightening I had a lucky escape as it had actually dropped Near the school and one of my friends in the same form was killed and another school boy had his leg blown off.

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