大象传媒

I remember finding shrapnel in the back garden one morning and standing at the front door one evening with Mum and Dad seeing the sky glowing red as London was in flames after a bombing raid.
There was a Morrison shelter in the lounge where we all slept. It was constructed of thick steel panels bolted together. Some nights we went and slept in a large communal shelter with other local residents. This shelter was in a local recreation ground.
The shelter was built partly underground and consisted of concrete tunnels with bunk beds along one side. The smell of Jeyes Fluid still reminds me of that shelter.
There were also large brick shelters built at intervals along our road and at various other sites. My Dad also dug a trench along the end of the garden. In an air raid we were supposed to run and crouch down in it to protect us from the 'blast' from any near explosion. I don't remember actually doing that. I liked playing in it when it was full of rainwater and muddy!.
One afternoon we heard a noisy plane fly over.I said "that's a funny plane". At that point the 'plane's' engine cut out and we ran inside quickly. The 'flying bomb' landed a few streets away.
For some years after the end of the war, each street would hold a street party to celebrate. There would be a tea party, fancy dress competitions, dancing etc.
Another memory is shouting out of a bus window "Got any gum chum?". It was a cheeky thing to shout at an American serviceman.

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