大象传媒

The night the goodstation was bombed, I lived with my mother and father, brother John and baby sister, Patrica. Father was out fire watching, and to tell anyone to draw the blinds, if there was a chink in the curtains letting out the light.
The sirens had gone off and mam got us out of bed, we dressed, mother was carrying my baby sister, and me and my brother John, were running up Stepney Lane with my mother and sister.
As we got to Gibson Street Baths, the fire engine stood outside, the fireman said "Come on Mrs. with yor kids, get them down the shelter".
As I looked back along Newbridge street, all the hosepipes were along the street and the fire engine was pumping the water out of the baths to try and help put out the fire.
Flames were 200ft high, it burnt for two or three weeks. They had just filled the goodstation with eggs, butter, sugar, fruit, flour and all types of food for the North East. It also had cold areas to keep things fresh for months.
The plane was shot down, but the pilot landed on the flat roof with all of it's bombs exploding, making it quite dangerous for the area of the Battlefield and Shielfield.
I believe the 'Ack Ack Gun' on Lobbly Hill shot the plane down, with everybody killed on board.
The blast was so great, railway lines and trucks in Argle Street were nearly opposite the rooftops. What a night!!
The whole of Newcastle center was lit up by the flames, I think it was about 1942, September. We lived at 70 Stepney Lane, Battlefield, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
I was 5 and a half years old at that time, my brother John was 8yrs old, Patrica 2yrs, and my mother and father were both 35 years old.
In them war years, you grew up quick, seeing people and friends lose their lives by being killed in the bombing, watching bodies being dug out of the bombed rubble of the houses where you lived.
Many streets in Shielfield and the Battlefield were bombed and you had to carry your gas mask to school and everywhere.
The Air raid shelter was at the top of Grawhall Road.

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