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Growing up in Axminster, I didn’t really know that there was a war on, although some other families were affected as fathers and sons were called up.
My parents had a greengrocer’s shop in the town and my father and grandfather were born in the area, so everyone knew the family, especially the farmers.
Father ran the local Home Guard, who did not have a lot to do, so to train for firefighting incendiary bombs, a car would be driven along the street with the passenger throwing out something like a thunderflash. They were followed by a second car from which the passenger would leap out and smother it with sand. This gave great amusement to the children in the town.

Another occasion I remember well — We lived opposite the Royal Mail Sorting Office, and almost every evening, their van would go to Axminster Station to meet the last London train and collect the mail.
One evening, about 10.30, there was a knock on the door; Father went to the door and was confronted by the postman, saying "“ found these on the station — these being an elderly lady, her daughter, Gladys, son about 6 (Trevor), a baby in arms accompanied by a very large Airedale dog.
They explained that they knew my grandfather (who had died in 1927), and they had come from London — we didn’t know where from or why (and still don’t)
Mother frantically took a drawer from the chest of drawers and made a bed for the baby.

Glady, Trevor and the baby moved on the next day, but the old lady and the dog stayed.
Our own dog lived outside in his kennel, as we couldn’t have him in the house/shop.
All I know is that shortly afterwards, that the old lady and dog disappeared!
I never did find out who they were, why they came and where they went.

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