- Contributed by听
- London Borough of Newham Public
- People in story:听
- Mr Leonard & Mrs Margaret Gent
- Location of story:听
- East London
- Article ID:听
- A2630864
- Contributed on:听
- 13 May 2004
As told by Margaret Gent
Neither of us were evacuated, we stayed here all through the war.
Leonard, who suffered from the after effects of polio, was not called up but did clerical work at the power station in Bow. He joined the L.D.V (Local Defence Volunteers, later the Home Guard).
We were bombed: we had the roof off. We were married in February 1941 and lived at 66 Grange Road in Plaistow, and were bombed there. The house was made uninhabitable. We went first to Leonard's grandparent's house, then we put our name down on a list and got our current home. Then a landmine came down at the corner here: the house was shaken and we lost all our windows. We had our 60th anniversary in 2001: we got a card from the Queen.
Our first child was born in 1944, just as the war was ending. The day the war finished, there were street parties, and Leonard played the piano. We were at war months after Chamberlain came back with his bit of papwer. We were lucky not to lose anyone.
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