大象传媒

I had made my usual once a week evening visit to my mother-in-law, after work, arriving at about 7.30 p.m. My sister and her husband were staying with us; us being my single sister and my father. My mother had died of cancer about six months earlier. My sister and her husband lost their home and all their belongings in the bombing of the previous week.

We had all decided on many occasions during family talks that we would not go into the air raid shelter in the garden, for the simple reason that it was full of water!

This particular evening, although the air raid warning had gone, we were sitting around a large oval dining table, having a bite to eat, when suddenly we heard a noise overhead and someone said "This one's for us - under the table!" Little were we to know that the table was to save our lives, as the bomb hit the air raid shelter where we would all have died.

I remember seeing a huge flash of blue light and then nothing, just pitch dark and eerie silence. After what seemed like an age but was perhaps a few moments, I heard my father's voice asking "What's happened and can we open the door?"

My married sister was crying and calling for her husband.

My single sister and the one I always loved most, was calling out "Where are you Rita?"

"Well, I'm here somewhere but I can't move" I replied.

In fact none of us could see or move as it was as black and silent as a grave. Although I was only 21 years of age at the time, I really did think it was indeed a grave for all of us.

We all lay in pitch blackness for what seemed hours and I was thinking that no one would ever find us alive. We were able to talk to each other but couldn't see anything at all. I could not move my head or my left arm. They were totally trapped. We all seemed very quiet, no doubt busy with our own thoughts but nobody said that they were badly hurt.

I tried to make myself as comfortable as possible, for I was in no doubt that I was going to die where I lay. My past life did indeed keep going through my mind! The strange thing was that I really did not feel frightened. None of us were now crying, only every so often someone would ask, "Are you alright?"

Having been married only four months my mind went back to my wedding day, and the thought of not seeing my husband again seemed to trigger off something in my brain. I called to my sister "Perhaps if we all started shouting, someone might hear and help".

After a while we started to hear a faint tapping noise but load enough to break the deadly silence around us. Dust then started to fall on our faces, which was a little unnerving in the darkness to say the least! Someone said, "maybe someone above is digging around".

The we heard a man's voice, faint but certain. Once more we shouted "Help us please". Suddenly a pinlight of light appeared. Then more and more light appeared, although we still could not see each other. The more men's voices asking "How many of you are there, and don't move. We will find you, but it will take time". Of course we had no idea of the time of day or night.

Slowly the pinpoint of light got large enough for us to see a huge spotlight almost blinding us, and we were now able to talk back to the unknown faces above. Dust was everywhere, in our eyes and mouths, making us cough, but I could not touch my face.

Now the hole was large enough for one of the A.R.P. men to crawl down. One by one we were set free but my head was trapped under a dining room chair so someone was sawing away at the cross piece between the chair legs. In so doing he cut my ear, and for the first time that night tears rolled down my face. To release my arm a timber beam was moved and I was lifted out of the hole.

'What time is it please?" I asked. 2.30 p.m. was the reply. My poor father was the last out at 3 p.m.

I was put on a stretcher and remember little else from then on until I came to in a hospital bed in the children's ward of the hospital. My head was bandaged, there were pieces of plaster on my face, and no feeling in my left arm, which was in a plaster cast. But for the moment the fact that I was in the children's ward worried me more! I called out to one of the nurses and said very proudly but maybe a little timidly, "I'm married". In those days, being only five feet tall and seven and a half stone, the mistake in hindsight was forgiveable!

But the most marvellous thing I remember is that when I said that, the nurse cuddled me and said "sorry darling, we didn't realise". Aren't people marvellous. Later that day four men visited me with flowers saying "We just had to come and see you in the daylight". They thought I was a blond when they rescued me. My hair being covered in white dust. I think that when they arrived they were disappointed to find they had a brunette!

Subsequently, of course, I was able to leave hospital with my left arm in plaster, but I was oh so happy to be alive and, of course, swore never again to moan. The family were all eventually reunited with tears of joy all around.

That experience has helped me throughout my life since, and although I am now 81 years young, I still have regular laughs at my indignant protest at being placed in the children's ward but most of all not being recognised as MARRIED!

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