大象传媒

I am a born, raised and bred Londoner. I was born Doris Hitchcock and my date of birth was the 22nd of March 1922.

At the outbreak of war at 11 o clock, I was walking through the streets on a Sunday morning when it was announched I was taking my 2 sisters to church.

After the announcement, the sirens went and we didnt know what to expect. I started work at Woolwich, a standard telephone company working with important war work.

All the factories were in that area lining the river. We had an air raid in 1940 on a Saturday afternoon in September. We were all in our shelter under the factory hearing bombs. When we came out, the Thames was alight with fire and soldiers were outside to escort us home. Fire was everwhere. There was no one at home and I was told my mother and 2 sisters had been taken away on a coach. When my father came home from work he told me I couldn't live there anymore as I was a 17 year old girl - so I went to live with my Aunt in Essex.

One morning I came out of my aunts to be told a bomb was waiting to be detonated. Next thing I knew the bomb went off and a hand in a glove hit me. Night after night bombs went off and terrible things were seen. I was bombed out twice and had to move.

I married my work collegues brother who carried out 2 jobs. My daughter was born in 1943 so I was bringing her up during the rest of the war. Every night I used to put her in the tin bath which was used to protect her. On VE day I took my daughter who was 2 and a half to Trafalger Square to the celebrations when the victory was announced.

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