大象传媒

My Memories of World War II

By Jean Lovegrove

I was 3 and my brother was 1 when the second World War began, and we lived in Edgware Middx. My Dad was a postman and was called up for the Army, he was in the Battle of Dunkirk, ending up on the French beaches with hundreds of other soldiers and was picked up by the troopship "Lancastria". Unfortunately the ship was sunk by German bombers, and he was a long time in the water before being rescued and taken to hospital in Surrey.He was very lucky to survive as all his friends lost their lives. My Mum took my Dad's job and was a postwoman, spending quite a bit of time in other people's shelters and homes when the air raids were on. She sent my brother and I to Scotland to live with her sisters, so we went to different Aunts, and we started school there. Before the war ended, we went back home, both of us had broad "Scots" accents which made life a bit difficult, especially at school. I remember seing a "doodlebug" - it looked like a long telegraph pole and made a humming sound, when the noise stopped, it dropped and exploded, causing terrible destruction. I also remember the Italian prisoners of war, who came by every evening in trucks, they used to wave and call out to us, and occasionally throw out wooden toys they had made, they were noisy and cheerful. When the war ended, we had a big street party, it was such a great atmosphere.

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