大象传媒

When war was declared I lived in a village called Peene, just outside Folkstone. Later to be known as Hell Fire Corner. I remember when I was 7 years old and we came home from church early to listen to the speech on the radio, although at the time I didn't fully understand what it meant.
Over the hill behind us was Hawkinge aerodrome.We could hear the aircraft engines running at night waiting for any night raids. The first action we saw was on my freind Ellen's birthday.A stray bomb landed in the field behind our house.Luckily the blast went away from the house and so no damage was done.
The village school, Newington C of E, was one of the few schools open in the area. Most of the children had been evacuated to Wales. An air raid shelter was built in the playground (above ground) only to be blown down again by a high wind. Our teacher Mrs Muir said we would be safer in the school under desks if necessary.We were once filmed sitting under the desks wearing tin hats by a Canadian news team.
Big guns were placed on the top of the hill. When they were firing you had to be careful of shrapnel. I remember once when Grandad was stuck in the outside loo as the guns started firing and shrapnel was falling all around. He had to stay there untill it was all over!
Once there was a raid in Folkestone and we had to go to the big shelter in Bourverie Square. I stood on the wooden seats and sang Brahms Lullaby.
I can remeber standing on the cliffs and watching the boats coming in from Dunkirk. Another time, seeing the flashes of guns in France and counting up to 62 before the shells landed in Folkestone. They were very frightening because you couldn't see them coming.
Another thing that frightened me was the voice of Lord Haw-Haw, when he interupted the news it was just like he was there with you.
In a field by our school we had soldiers sleeping under canvas for about 3 months. We had to show identity cards to cross the field A soldier told me that I had to make one for my dolly too, so I did.
We got used to Dog fights over head and always cheered when a Spitfire or Huricane did a victory roll after downing a Hun. Sometimes one of our bombers would limp home trying to make for Hawkinge but some didn't quite make it and crashed. Us kids always went to crash sights to look for perspex from the windows to use to make rings and crosses, first we would heat a poker and burn the outline, then file it to the required shape. One day a German plane crashed nearby and we kids all rushed to have a look, I picked up a boot and to my horror the foot and part of the leg was still in it. Just then the search light boys and wardens turned up and moved us out.
There was great excitement when a search light was installed in the field with two huts and a pom-pom gun. The search light boys were welcomed into the village, there was Dai Jenkins the cook, Tommy Johnson from Barking, Harry House, 'Banger' and Sgt Scott. I can't remember any other names. Sometimes the German planes would fire down at the beam which was quickly turned off and then on again to dazzle the pilot. I was twice strafed by German fighters, once with Gran and Grandad and once coming home from school. They missed! The army had a firing range near the village and sometimes they would let us ride on a bren gun carrier to school. Gran used to make tea for them.
Our village hall was used for dances on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We learnt all the latest music, I still remember it all.
The first night we saw Doodle Bugs we thought we were shooting down planes until we learnt the truth the next day, they were flying bombs. One dropped near our house, the roof came off, windows were blown in, no back door and I lay in bed covered in plaster. The search light boys came at once to find out if we were alright and to help clear up the mess. The next day we kids went to look at the remains of the Bug and saw hundreds of dead birds that had been roosting int he trees.
I forgot to say about the time an unexploded bomb landed in the garden of the house opposite us. You could smell the cordite. A soldier popped his head round the door and ssaid we had to go to the next village. We stayed at the Post Office stores for 4 days. We only had the clothes we stood up in but we still went to school.
V.E. day, Great excitement and a party in the village hall.The home coming of the village lads. Our teachers son sadly was killed, shot down in his bomber over Germany.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.