大象传媒

My first memory of World War 2 is my father and brother being called up for service on the day war was declared, being Auxiliary airmen, having joined up the year before while visiting an Air Show accompanied by my brother and myself. I cannot remember if the venue was Northolt or Hendon.

My next memory was of being evacuated. I was supposed to be going to stay with cousins in Canada. After we had travelled all the way to Liverpool, and after spending an uncomfortable night in a church hall, we were all sent back to London. It transpired that a ship carrying some evacuees that had gone before we arrived had been torpedoed and sunk.

My next memory was of a Block Buster bomb that landed on Miller Street, the road next to my school, Tudor Road Juniors, all in Southall, Middlesex. That resulted in me becoming an A.R.P. bike messenger boy.

I also remember a German bomber shot down which crashed on the local gas works, and myself and my friends Den Scott, Alan Flanagan, Sid Simpson and Bunny Day got to the site before the Police or R.A.F. got to the crashed aircraft, and promptly helped ourselves to a machine gun and belts of ammo. That resulted in agitated policemen on bikes touring the streets imploring whoever took it to give it up. They got the machine gun eventually, but not the ammo. That was used by us to get the cordite out having removed the bullets with the aid of pliers.

The only bomb apart from the one to hit Miller Street was a Buzz Bomb that exploded upon Southall Park. Again we beat the authorities to the site and made off with the tail fins. There was no uproar this time.

My mum, who worked nights at the A.E.C. making tanks (formally the makers of London Red Buses and Mattodor Lorries), decided it was again time I was evacuated. So it was I ended up with dozens of other kids, once again, with labels on our lapels. The destination this time was Barnsley, Yorkshire. I ended up being billeted with a family that the breadwinner of the family was a foreman in a glass factory making all shapes and sizes of bottle. He very kindly showed us around once. His hobby was glass etching, at which he was a master. The boys next door were the sons of a miner, they taught me to smoke and gamble.

While at Barnsley I passed the exam for entry in Barnsley Mining and Technical College, I ended up playing hookey most of the time, visiting farms, giving a hand where I could and drinking milk by the gallon. I ended up making my way home and arriving home unannounced. I was promptly dispatched to my Aunt who lives in Romney, South Wales, due to the V2 Rocket.

I have other memories of the war, but I fear you may be getting rather bored...

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jenni Hern of the CSV Action Desk on behalf of Mr G. P. Heydon and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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