大象传媒

My father was a regular in the army, he was a Pioneer Sergeant with the 2nd battalion of the Hampshire Regiment stationed in Aldershot. In 1939 I was 6 years old and living in married quarters in Jerome square. Because the Govermnment called the reserves back into service and also called up the TA all the married women and children had to vacate their quarters to accomodate the extra troops. Our father was allowed a few days leave to help us before he had to leave for France with his regiment (at around this time Dad was promoted to Sergeant Major and transfered to the Royal Engineers).

We found accomodation in a village called Tongham with a lady (Mrs Driver) whose husband was in the army. There were also other guests, Mrs Higgs and her twin sons whose age matched my brother's (8). She had been sent to Tongham by her husband from Farnborough as he believed that she would be safer (their home was near Farnborough aerodrome).

I remember life here as fun although I hated the gas mask drill as I suffered from asthma and always found it difficult to breathe with it on.

One night there was a heavy air raid and we all sheltered in the cupboard under the stairs. Early next morning the Police woke us up to tell us that we had to leave as there was an unexploded time bomb in the garden next door.

I remember sitting in the park with mum as she tried to think of somewhere for us to go. She couldn't take us to London where her parents were born as the Blitz was at it's height and children were being evacuated. Mum sent a telegram to Dad who had returned from France and was now based at a large army camp that was being built in Weston on Trent in Derbyshire. Meanwhile mum remembered Mrs Higgs who had gone back to Farnborough just before the bomb. The police helped to contact her and she welcomed us into her bungalow. We stayed here long enough for my brother to start school.

Dad rented accomodation in Aston on Trent and returned to Tongham on compassionate leave to retrieve our belongings from the old house. While he was there the bomb was detonated and he told us later that on the way down the bomb had crossed the garden cutting off the tops of two of the pear trees that were either side of the centre garden path. He also heard more about the air raid itself. It appears that a train was passing through the village carrying ammunition and was hit by a bomb and caught fire. The burning and exploding railway wagons flattened part of the village and many people were killed. But the courage of a railwayman prevented a complete disaster as he uncoupled the burning wagons allowing the train to pull the sound wagons out of danger. We later found out that the railwayman had been awarded the George Cross for his bravery.

Looking back as a mother myself I wonder how I would have coped in my mother's position moving from place to place, living on her own with three children. I also think of all the evacuees being moved around the country who hadn't the good fortune to have their mother's with them.

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