大象传媒

One night, on about the 25th August 1942, a German plane, searching for Ipswich Airport, was following a trolley bus along Nacton Road. It must have seen the flash from the overhead cables and let its bombs go. One landed directly on the Anderson shelter in our neighbour鈥檚 garden at 502 Nacton Road. Sheltering inside was the whole Nunn family, except for Mr Joe Nunn, who was sitting on a dustbin outside. Mrs Nunn and their 8 children were all killed, including deaf and dumb twin brothers, who were home on a break from their school. Mr Nunn survived, only because the blast had carried him to the front of house. Their sister Dolly鈥檚 body was never ever found.

Although we were neighbours, our house was in Lindbergh Road. Sometimes neighbouring shelters were joined, but ours, about 5 yards away from the Nunn鈥檚, was not. My mum, my six brothers and sisters and me (I was 6 years old), were in our shelter and were all OK, but my dad who was standing in the doorway, and thus blocking it, caught the full force of the bomb was killed. I suppose in a way he saved our lives. Soldiers, who were on the trolley bus returning to the Artillery Barracks along Nacton Road, all came to help. One of them picked me up and carried me from the shelter, stepping over my dad who we didn鈥檛 realise was dead. My dad was Alfred Southgate and he was 48 when he was killed. The house had to be shored up the next day and our family had to stay with relatives on and off until it was safe to return,

The same bomb killed a Mr Thompson, who lived further along Nacton Road. He was looking out of his shelter and was caught in the blast.

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