大象传媒

The second world war broke out when I was still at school. I lived in Gainsborough Road and I attended the Ipswich High School, than at Westerfield Road. The first significant war event was the arrival of evacuees from Ilford High School to Ipswich. We were all asked to offer any empty rooms to these people. As we only had one spare room we were allocated a teacher. Next door they had two boy evacuees which seemed much more fun to me. We occupied our school in the mornings and Ilford High School used it in the afternoon.

Air raid shelters were built in the school grounds and we carried our gas-masks everywhere - to classrooms, prayers in the hall and down to the air raid shelters. I am ashamed to admit it now but at the time it all seemed rather exciting when the warning sounded and we all trouped down to the shelters.

It was fairly early in the war that I had my adventure. I had just gone to bed when there was an almighty bang and through the roof of my bedroom came an incendiary bomb. It landed at the bottom of my bed sizzling and burning. By instinct I kicked it off the bed. I then flew downstairs shouting "My bedroom's on fire". My father's reaction was "Sit down dear - you've been dreaming There was a noise up the road and it probably work you up". I said "Quick - it really is burning." He went upstairs. In all his life I had never heard him swear but he said:"My God, she's right. Get water." My step-mother went to the bathroom and I went to the kitchen. I filled the washing up bowl with water and made my way upstairs. By the time I got there I had been shaking so much that there was no water left. Father said "Get some help." I went outside and there was a sailor kissing goodnight to his girlfriend just up the road. I said "Could you help?" and he came tearing in, abandoning the poor girl completely. My father at the front door seeing him running said "We don't want any drunks in here." Then a neighbour arrived with his gas mask on! Eventually more help came and the fire was put out. Some months later I had what seemed like a new bedroom with carpet, curtains and bedclothes all new.

Later an unexploded landmine was discovered in Cemetery Road and we were all told to leave our windows open when they exploded it. There was much damage all round.

In the northern part of the town where we lived a house on the corner of Cotswold Avenue and Dale Hall Lane was completely demolished and those inside unfortunately died. My school friend in Park Road was more fortunate despite her house having a direct hit. The house was badly damaged but the whole family survived.

There was a public air raid shelter at the top of Tuddenham Avenue. There were no houses just there at the time. All households had the option of having their own shelter - either inside the house or in the garden. My family did not take up the offer believing that a bomb wouldn't fall in the same place twice!

Soldiers were bilitted in all the unoccupied houses around and happy evenings were spent playing cards and drinking coffee when they were invited into neighbours' houses.

Reproduced by Ipswich Museum with Pat Wootten's permission.

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