大象传媒

This story has been writen onto the People's War site by CSV Storygatherer Jane Chanter on behalf of Gabrielle Sagar Fenton. The story has been added to the site with her permission and Gabrielle Fenton fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.
I am 85 years old, spent most of the war in Marazion and remember lots of small incidents. The beach from Penzance to St Michael's Mount had tank traps all the way along because the whole of the south coast was considered liable to be invaded. The Folly Fields were all mined quite often set off by some poor dog.
We had many siren warnings, German planes hunting in the Channel, if they found no prey would unload their bombs before returning home.
I spent some time as a VAD in Penzance Hospital and in charge of a hostel on night duty - for sick evacuees, all untrained. I spent my 21st birthday at the hostel and two of my friends came and sang to me! I also worked on the land for a time (not as a Land Army girl) and worked at the G.P. Surgery happily dispensing medicine without any experience. It was a case if you were fit and able people were glad to have anyone.
I signed up at the beginning of the war to be a FANY - to drive an ambulance, my father would not let me go as I was under 21, so I found work locally.
One incident occured in 1940/41 when I was in Dorset, walking into Sherbourne with my fiancee, there was a sudden raid, I believe 15 people were killed. My fiancee called to me to run for cover in an old quarry. I dropped my handbag and spilt the contents and to his horror I sat down and picked up all the pieces.The raid was caused by German aircraft making for Bristol, meeting RAF fighters which had to unload their bombs to get away so poor Sherbourne had a large load of bombs dropped on them. I would like to help you further but cannot think of anything really exciting to tell you.

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