大象传媒

I was 9 years old when war broke outand lived in East Sheen. Near Richmond Park there was a large gun called "Big Bessie". The german bombers made her their target and after one raid we came up from the Anderson Shelter to see leaves falling like snow all around us. They had missed the gun once again and hit the trees. On another occasion, coming home from school at lunchtime, we were warned that an unexploded land mine was on Clifford Bridge where the boatrace ends. The residents in the immediate area had been evacuated to the cinema while the experts were endeavoring to remove the two pins to make it safe. I hurried home and during lunch there was such an explosion the house jumped and everything rattled. On my way back to school along the upper Richmond Road I saw no glass left in the shop windows. We heard later that only one pin had been removed before the mine had to be abandoned, because it was too dangerous.We had molotov baskets at the end of the garden and dog fights above us, we saw the red glow of London burning in the blitz from our bedroom window. The searchlights swept the skies at night when everywhere was in darkness due to the blackout. There was a "Toghetherness" amongst our neighbours and throughout the country as we all felt cared for by those in authority and we had faith in our leaders, esecially Winston Churchill. The end of the war came when our class of 15 year olds were at Harvest Camp in Essex, we gathered around the radio in the Farmer's sitting room - what a relief - great jubilation.

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