- Contributed by听
- U1650494
- People in story:听
- Dennis Cockbill
- Location of story:听
- Portsmouth, London and Newport, South Wales
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4252556
- Contributed on:听
- 23 June 2005
Dennis Cockbill, present
This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Rebecca Hood of the People's War Team in Wales on behalf of Dennis Cockbill and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The story was gathered at a session held in Chepstow in May 2005.
I was with my family on holiday in Portsmouth. As soon as we knew war was going to be declared - Portsmouth being a highly vulnerable target - we came home pretty damned quick. I remember going back after the holidays and the headmaster at assembly telling us that 鈥淲e needn鈥檛 worry lads 鈥 it鈥檒l all be over in six months鈥 Which of course it wasn鈥檛 鈥
My worst memories surround leaving home at 18 and never having left home before鈥.. And going to London for three weeks, sleeping in bunks with no sheets, having to wear various types of uniform 鈥 that was probably the worst part of my air force career. The first three weeks in London鈥.and of course we were being bombed as well unfortunately.
I had experienced bombing earlier. I only had about 12 months after I left school before I joined the air force鈥.and my father was running some of the offices in Lycetts the steelworks so he suggested I went to work for him for 12 months before I joined the air force, which I did and one Friday afternoon I was walking between the works office and the head office when there was about a 1500 foot cloudbase 鈥 out of the clouds came an aircraft, I looked up and saw three little tiny black things underneath the aircraft鈥.the aircraft disappeared. It was a Heinkel bomber and it dropped three bombs on the railway sidings the other side of the steelworks. Then of course the sirens went and we spent a couple of hours in the shelters after it was all over. I was also firewatching one night with my father at the top of Walmer Road, a very quiet night, a beautiful starlit night鈥.no sirens had gone. We heard the aircraft come over and then a huge bang鈥nd a land mine had dropped on East Wells Street killing quite a number of people鈥︹..Little did I think that four years later I鈥檇 be doing the same thing to them 鈥 if you like 鈥 getting my own back.
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