大象传媒

I spent most of my childhood years in Fareham and remember countless hours spent in air raid shelters, on the outbreak of war in 1939, with kind folk giving me food and drink. I remember always wearing woollen gloves, my hands permanently frozen.

My first job was in Haywards Heath as a scullery maid and I was promoted fairly promptly as all the staff were being conscripted into the armed forces. One night as I was taking a can of hot water upstairs, there was an almighty crash, and chaos reigned. A land mine had dropped on the adjoining recreation ground, about 150 yards from our boundary, causing our glass roof to shatter, and much debris on our landing, where I was. I remember having a fragment of glass in my lip and having to go to the local hospital to have it removed. Fortunately the land mine did not explode, just remained bedded in the ground until such time it was defused and rendered safe.

This story was entered on the People鈥檚 War website by Charlie Sever on behalf of Muriel Ragless. Muriel fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

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