大象传媒

During the war I was a schoolboy. Little did I know that I was going to be involved with the air-raids, because we never had any bombs in Keighley: the nearest was Bradford, and they tell me that was a mistake 鈥� they jettisoned some bombs from a bomber that was being attacked by a fighter. So, we went to the school camp that was run by the Keighley Education Authority at Grange-over-Sands 鈥� Humphrey Head School Camp -- this was a wooden bungalow building which held thirty-six boys, and we were there for three weeks. After about a week there was an air-raid warning: they were bombing Barrow, which was about twenty miles away. They had us all up assembled in the hall and the Matron was telling us all the dangers, but fortunately we were able to return to bed after a few hours. This happened two nights on the trot, so we were getting used to it. Then on the third night, it became more serious: the bombs were obviously very, very close, so the Matron decided that we should evacuate the bungalow. We all assembled with our overcoats over our pyjamas and pulled our shoes on and we crawled down to the beach. Bombs were flying all round us and there was shrapnel hissing over the walls. So, we finally got to this old farmhouse, which was a safer place after the wooden bungalow, and we went in there about half-past-one in the morning and were there until six o鈥檆lock in the morning. During that time the windows were blown out of the farmhouse kitchen where we were all crammed in, but fortunately nobody was hurt. At six o鈥檆lock the all-clear went and we crawled back, tired out, to the bungalow. We all went to bed and were wakened about mid-day. The Matron said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e all going home, but you can鈥檛 go back on the train, because this has been damaged by a landmine, so you鈥檝e got to go by coach back to Carnforth, and then you will get the train back home,鈥� which we did. Finally we arrived back in Keighley, all tired out, and all these wealthy Councillors, who had cars, ran us all home.

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