大象传媒

The first recollection that I have of the war was standing in the garden of my Aunt and Uncle when my Aunt rushed out crying and then my Mother also started to cry and that upset me. Then my Uncle came out obviously very annoyed and shouting. At that time most of the meaning went over my head but I realised later that it had just been announced by Mr Chamberlain, the Prime Minister, on the radio that the UK was now at war with nazi Germany.
Another great implication was that my Aunt and Uncle had two Sons who had been called up, one was in the army at Dunkirk and later at Normandy, but the other who was deeply involved in the church refused to join and became a conscientious objector. This is a route that I doubt I would have taken but having said that I would never put on a uniform again unless the British Isles was being invaded. And doing what these people did was not exactly an easy option because they were dragged through a lengthy tribunal court. My cousin had no choice, he was forced to work in the Nottinghamshire coal mines for the duration and sometime after. Later he became a school teacher and eventually a Church of England Priest, but at the time it caused a major rift in the family that took many years to heal.

At the time our home was at Bursledon, about 7 miles from Southampton. In 1940 Southampton was devastated by the German Bombers. I remember after the all clear had sounded standing at the back with my Father. Looking in one direction and seeing a huge glow in the sky when Southampton docks and a large part of the city was a blaze. The in the opposite direction the same was happening to Portsmouth.

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