大象传媒

I was living in Coulsdon, in between the Caterham Guards Barracks and the Kenley Aerodrome. My father was sent to India for the whole of the War. My mother had 4 children aged 9, 7, 4 and a baby who had been born in the Blitz. I remember my mother being in labour with this baby when all the lights went out. The midwife got panicky and said 鈥淚 can鈥檛 do this without any light,鈥� so my mother got up, went and repaired the fuse and only then went back to her bed!!

My sister and I were evacuated 鈥� first time with relatives, but this was unsuccessful and my sister and I ended up at Euston Station and had to be taken home in a Police car, much to my mother鈥檚 shock! It was after this that the Battle of Britain started. My mother broke the rules and remained in our Anderson shelter with us 4 small children. Every morning she brought a tray of tea from the house out to the shelter. On one occasion, as she was walking back, a German plane flew so low that she could she the pilot鈥檚 face and he waved at her to get down 鈥� so she dropped the tea tray and saw him drop a bomb a little further on.

The school at the back of our house was once machine gunned, killing five children and the milkman 鈥� this plane was hiding in the clouds and came down after the 鈥渁ll clear鈥� had sounded. School was mainly spent in the shelter, having singsongs etc 鈥� anything to drown out the sounds of the bombs.

My mother once brought us out of the shelter in the middle of the night and pointed out the night sky, which in the distance was bright red. She told us that it was London burning. It was quite usual to watch the 鈥渄og fights鈥� over Kenley Aerodrome and Biggin Hill, and I frequently saw planes shot down in flames.

I was evacuated again when the 鈥淒oodle Bugs鈥� started. The second evacuation was to Staffordshire and this was also unsuccessful 鈥� we went to a small village school where we were called 鈥� a dirty little evacuee.鈥� By the time of the third evacuation, it was almost the end of the War. We went to Taunton and it was at this time that my mother had another baby. I was so jealous that the baby was at home with her and I wasn鈥檛. I was only about 7 at the time.

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