大象传媒

www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/.

Continuation of 鈥�3 friends one survivor鈥� 27/07/04

With the Air-raid of 31-05-43 came another 鈥榮urvival鈥� experience, it was just at 15.00hrs on the Sunday afternoon, that the raid started, coming in at wave top they had eluded the radar, so there was no pre-warning. Even as I climbed out of a top floor window of the hotel premises, which were our billets, with blanket to have an hours sun-bathe on the flat roof, I was met with the clatter of Machine-gun fire, the Air-raid sirens wailing, one leg already out of the window looked in direction of the cliffs which hid the sea from site, in time to see the German Bomber just lifting itself over the steeple of St. Michael鈥檚 church steeple and releasing a bomb in my
Direction!! 鈥淒ived back inside for cover, not much use鈥� on top floor anyway.
In the event the bomb passed overhead and landed in Union St. the main shopping street of the town immediately opposite the Woolworth store, we became directly involved looking for survivors, and clearing debris. During this operation which delayed our departure for two days, several risqu茅 postcards from the first world war period, came to light from behind the old tobacconist鈥檚 shop shelves amongst the wreckage of the premises. A little light relief !!!

From Torquay we moved on to Southampton, to commence work on what is now
No.1 Transportation port, at Marchwood, Hants. And simultainously work on Sections & Assembly of Mulberry Harbour. Whilst initially we were billeted in Highfield School.in Southampton while working at Marchwood we were transported to the site by most forms of transport except Submarine & Air. To explain Summer/Autumn 1943. Open top 3ton Dennis lorries. Winter1943/44, Inclement of weather some very old antiquated buses were requisitioned, two were that old, they had 鈥榮olid tyres鈥�, & missing windows boarded-up. Came the fuel shortage, we were taken in a convoy of the Town鈥檚 trams down to the dockside, to board a converted motorised barge/landing craft, to cross to Marchwood , this worked O.K. until the fogs came down then Navigation Controls would not allow any cross-river traffic because of interference with Naval Operations on Up & Downstream movements. Fortunately an early spring arrived and the Railway had been connected to the site whereupon our convoy of Trams took us down to Southampton Central Station & we commuted there & back by rail, until we moved under canvas a month before 鈥淒鈥滵ay. Actually the 鈥渞ail鈥� was part of my Undoing & my later survival !.

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