大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War website by Tawona and Emma, pupils from Teversham Primary School on behalf of Charles Archer and has been added to the site with his permission. He fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was 16 when the war started. I was posted to Scotland with the 101st Regiment. I was posted a lot in Scotland and one of the places I went was called Dundee. I was a driver. I drove a lorry with a gun attached. We had 20 people in a truck. After that, I was posted in London during the Battle of Britain. I was stationed in Hendon, London. Then we were posted to Brighton. The first time in action we shot a bomber. We used a heavy AHA to shoot it down. Later I had an accident when I was driving a lorry it affected my leg. I had to go to hospital to have my right leg operated on. Then I was downgraded, and sent to Aldershot, an army pay office. I ended up as a full corporal and I worked with civilians.

We got bombed in the war. Our home was destroyed and we only had what we were wearing at the time. I lived in the Dock Area in East End London. We were bombed all day for 6 weeks solid. We had an Anderson Shelter in the back garden. One day we were told to go into the compulsory shelter in the public park and hundreds of people were in there! That was the same night we lost our house.

I got married on February 2nd 1942. My wife and I moved to Cambridge. My wife had twins and we lost one. Then we had a son in 1947. My brother was in the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. My wife worked in a factory and also did all of the house work because we men were away fighting.

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