- Contributed by听
- epsomandewelllhc
- People in story:听
- David C Lee
- Location of story:听
- West Ewell, Surrey
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4177361
- Contributed on:听
- 10 June 2005
September 1939
It was Sunday 3rd September 1939 and I was due to start school on Monday. It was quite a bright day and my father was tuning in the wireless, when suddenly my father, mother and my elder brother seemed very interested at what was being broadcasted.
I myself was coming up to my 5th birthday and didn't really understand what all the commotion was about. Eventually I was informed that we were at war with Germany. This didn't sink into me, especially what all the fuss was about as I was more concerned with starting school the next day. Later that day there was a terrible wailing sound and my mother picked me up and explained that the sound was a siren, this sound would be activated when ever the was an air raid.
Monday 4th September 1939, my first day at school and it had seemed a very long day when my mother came to pick me up from school at 3 in the afternoon.
The following few weeks passed as far as I can recall without any mishaps, when one weekend, my father started to dig a large hole in our back garden. He explained that he was going to erect an ' Air Raid Shelter'. After a couple of weeks and the shelter was finished.
Before long the sirens started up once again warning everyone that enemy aircraft were approaching the area. On one particular occasion my father sent us all to the shelter and a surprise was awaiting us. The shelter inside had filled up with about 3 feet of water, there was no likelyhood of us occupying our air raid shelter that day.
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