大象传媒

This Story is submitted by a volunteer on behalf of Radio Bristol Action Desk at City of Bristol College.

I was 12 year old when the war started and lived with my Mother, Father, Brother and 2 Sisters. When Anderson Shelters were offered to resindents we applied to have one installed in our garden. Council men came along and dug a large hole in the garden and erected the shelter. Grass and flowers were planted above, and sandbags surrounded it. My Father built 2
bunks for my younger sister and myself and the baby was nursed by my
mother.. My Father was a Fire-watcher with all the other neighbours guarding the houses. We had a lane at the back of the house and it seemed as though the Ack-ack guns were right behind us when the bomers were overhead. Neighbour shared our shelter until they had their own installed so quite often we would have 7 or 8 folk inside. Usually the raids ended in the early hours of the morning and the boy next door and I used to go around the Crescent with paper bags collecting as much shrapnel from the bombs etc as possible. One night when there were lots of incendiary bombs falling, one hit the house up the road, so the men rushed in to put the fire out. Then the house next down the road was hit so my father joined with the others in there. ne looked in the shelter to ask were he was and we said he was next door. He said 'Tell him to go into his own house, that is on fire'. He went into the bedroom to see the mattress was on fire - the incendiary had landed there. He picked up the mattress and threw it out of the window, as a neighbour was coming up the path to offer help. It was fortunate he had a tin helmet on, as the mattress went on his head. They still remained friends afterwards.

My brother was called up at the age of 20 to join the Somerset Light Infantry and soon transferred to the Commandos. After training in Scotland he went to North Africa to serve with the forces under the command of General Montgomery. Unfortunately they were entrapped front and rear by enemy forces and he was taken prisoner and sent to Italy. When Italy capitulated the prison gates were opened and the prisoners were told to try to get through to allied lines in the North of the country. He and a friend who also came from Bristol and joined the Airforce reached Milan where he was housed by friendly folk. My brother had a poisoned leg and was in bed so unable to escape with his friend when the Germans came and recaptured him. He was then marched and travelled in the Cattle-truck trains to Poland to a POW camp. He was there until Germany surrendered. He came back to the U.K. and was taken to High Wycombe for 6 weeks rehabilitation and recuperation before being allowed back home again.
We were holding our VE street party, complete with tables of food, decorations and even a piano being brought out into the front garden and the pianist was playing lots of lively wartime songs. A thoroughly jolly time, awaiting my brothers arrival. Eventually the party wound up but we still had Welcome Home lights around the door, when he eventually arrived about an hour later. Probably much better to have an emotional reunion at home. He was diagnosed as having Noto Mosis in 1969 ad died in October 1971, having gradually lost ability to speak and then unable to write messages - it was tragic to see such a lively, lovely brother ending his life in this way. He kept very cheerful all the time and received wonderful treatment from Clevedon Cottage Hospital for about 6 months before he died. He was a very well-known and loved resident in Clevedon, having played football for their team until he was 41 years old and during the last season his son was also a member of the football team.

My younger Sister was badly affected by the raids and my Mother agreed that she should be evacuated - she was away for
a couple of years before returning to Bristol. After the Good Friday raid when we were all in the shelter for 13 hours, my
Mother took the Baby sister and me to Nailsea each night - a 9 mile train journey. After a couple of months, Nailsea had a bomber which jettisoned his bombs fleeing from the guns in Bristol and some houses were hit. We all stayed in Bristol after that and all survived the war - thankfully..

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