大象传媒

It was Friday evening the 14th February 1941, I lived with my parents in a cottage at the rear of some shops in Coggeshall Road, almost opposite what was then the High School, now I believe Council Offices, and in the shadow of the water Tower.

My older brother was 7 years and I was 5 陆 years old, were asleep in our Morrison Shelter, while my Mother was taking a bath in front of the fire, (one of the old tin baths that had to be filled by hand), while my Father was over the road in the White Hart Pub having a pint.

Suddenly we were woken by the sound of an aircraft, which seemed very low, and then the whistling sound of bombs falling. The next thing all hell broke loose, an almighty flash and explosion that blew the windows out and caused other structural damage that was not obvious until the next morning.

Meanwhile my Mother was screaming for my Father, who was there almost immediately and found her covered on soot but otherwise unhurt. He quickly got us all together and took us over the road to the White Hart, where we spent the rest of the night in the Pub cellar.

The next morning inspected the damage and realised how lucky we had been.

Two bombs had fallen at the top of Coggeshall Road junction with Bank Street, and one bomb had fallen outside the High School no more than 20 yards from our cottage, which was no longer habitable.

It鈥檚 something that I shall never forget and every time I see those water Towers the memories come flooding back.

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