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Having passed on to the senior school, it was a case of a long walk to and from school. No luxury of a school bus. School pals being called for and meeting up others along the way.
During one period of a school term we were faced with an unexploded bomb situation. A bomb had landed just in front of a bungalow in the road we had to pass along. The bomb disposal army lads were on site, digging for all their worth. Unfortunately, the ground into which the bomb fell was pure wet clay and as they got near to the monster it slid further down into the ground. Meanwhile, we passed by each day without a care in the world. I never knew if they finally managed to get the bomb out.
School had it’s distraction from the normal routine of lessons, this being so on one occasion when we were ‘volunteered’ to construct screens of interwoven branches or twigs, this taking place on the school playing field. They were, when finished, set up in fields to deter gliders and paratroops landing. We enjoyed the distraction and managed to get sunburnt in the process.
Another happy release was helping to dig for victory on the school allotments; we having the privilege of purchasing vegetables to take home to our ration starved families.

Ian Dellow

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