大象传媒

I lived at the Station Restraunt in Tilbury Docks, the building was so tall that is why it ended up on the German maps. We all slept in the cellar every night. To defend the docks we had one 16lb gun on the gas station nearby. On the stern of the boats dummy guns were rigged up to fool the Germans. The docks were very badly bombed and we had to take a bungalow outside the docks to keep away from the bombs. My father stayed behind to watch for incendries and to put out the fires. One night when my father was with some friends the Orient offices exploded as they were full of small arms ammunition. Two of the ships were cut in half, but did not sink. The Germans came down very low and strafed the trains. A stray German bomber unloaded his bombs and the Convent School that my sister and I attended received a direct hit, luckly the nuns were sleeping in the Old Convent and none were hurt.
I also remember one of our school friends playing with some children in the country, when a German plane came over and strafed them, our friend was killed, we went to the funeral, a Union Flag was placed on the coffin.

The noise at night when there was a raid was terrible, we were all scared and if you went out there was shrapnel flying all around you, I felt safer riding my bike to work than taking the bus, I had to be at work by 7am and the Bata Shoe company where I worked took a direct hit.

I remember all the small craft and Paddle Steamers going to Dunkirk, many of them did not return.

We moved from the Docks to Marks Tey, where I worked for the Air Ministry on Earls Colne Air Field, it was taken over by the 8th USAAF and the headquarters of the 9th USAAF was based at Marks Hall on our aerodrome. I eventually married an American at Marks Tey Church and we had a son in December 1945, my husband was sent to Germany and never saw his son until we arrived in America. The boat trip was very eventful with a very rough crossing, one man jumped overboard, but was recovered. When we arrived at New York there were 9 ambulances there to meet us as due to the rough crossing many people were ill. We felt like the poor relations as all the Americans were very glamourous, and they had no idea how we had suffered in England.

I eventually returned to England, my son is 60 this year, so that was a long, long time ago.

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