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It was almost certainly a Saturday because my mum, Dad and I nearly always went toe the pictures on that day; the year was 1941 and I was nine years old. The film showing was 鈥淭he Bluebird鈥� starring the one and only Shirley Temple and I was so excited!

We travelled to Plumstead (which was next door to Woolwich Arsenal) by the 99 bus and went into the cinema in the early afternoon. The cinema was pretty full and we had just about managed to see the whole programme through when an air raid warning flashed into the screen, so we made for the nearest exit.

We emerged in the middle of a bombing raid to absolute mayhem 鈥� the noise was deafening, the air was full of choking dust and smoke and there was debris all around us. Overhead German and English fighter planes were battling it out and we could hear the whine of bombs, it was like a scene from hell. My father pushed my mother and I down the steps of the nearest public air-raid shelter which was full to bursting and we were allowed to squeeze in but my father was turned away so we became separated. After what seemed like hours, a warden called down to tell us that all clear had sounded and we came out from the bowels of the earth covered in dust to find devastation all around us. Shops and houses were lying in ruins, telegraph poles were strewn across the road, their wires, dangling, buses had been abandoned and all their windows had been blown out so that broken glass and debris littered the roads and pavements. Thankfully, my father had managed to find refuge in another shelter and we were happily reunited after a frantic search. No public transport could operate in those conditions and so we prepared for the long walk home in the direction of Bostall Heath 鈥� three miles distant and uphill all the way! We wearily picked out way through all the rubble, up the hill following the road across the Heath and almost at our journey鈥檚 end, when we were met by an air raid warden. 鈥淲here do you live?鈥� he asked, and when we replied 鈥淕lenview鈥� he told us we couldn鈥檛 go home because of an unexploded landmine in our road 鈥� we almost collapsed! After more questions, we were finally allowed to enter the sanctuary of home, Glenview being a long road and the landmine having dropped at the far end.

We sank into our armchairs and never has a cup of tea been more welcome. Our spirits soon revived and we tuned into the wireless to listen to the reports about the terrible bombing attacks in our area which we had witnessed at first hand. Our earnest prayer was that there would be no more air raids that night but that could in no way be guaranteed and so we prepared ourselves for yet another night in our littler Anderson shelter in the garden.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Shirley Harris and has been added to the site with his permission. Shirley Harris fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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