大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from 大象传媒 (Penny Ryan) on behalf of Beryl Dean and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Dean fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

In 1944 - the year the Doodlebug bombs started - I was working for an insurance firm, Bray Gibb and Company. They had relocated from Bishops Gate to a big house on Ringley Park Road between Redhill and Righgate. We had to do firewatching on the premises. The staff had a night-time roster. I was on duty every 10 or so nights. I slept in a camp bed in the office. A night watchman would wake me up if there was an air raid alert.

On the night I remember most vividly, I was covering an additional night shift for a colleague who was on holiday. There had been heavy Doodlebug bombing for four nights in a row. I was woken up by a tremendous bang. It was still dark. The telephone rang shortly afterward. It was my mother. I thought she was calling to check that I was alright. Instead, she warned me that I may be shocked when I came back home.

Upon daylight, I walked back to my home on the corner of Earlsbrook and St Johns Roads. The police had sealed off the street. I saw that the house 150 metres away from ours had been completely flattened. I later learnt that thirteen people were killed. Our house had giant holes where the windows used to be. When I entered my bedroom, I found the heavy wooden window frame resting on top of my bed.

I just think to myself that if it weren鈥檛 for doing someone else鈥檚 firewatch, I would have been killed. I am lucky to still be here, married and with two children.

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