大象传媒

My war began at the age of 6years of age in 1940. While I was watching planes dog fighting in the skies, my school days were interrupted by air raids, every time the siren sounded down in the shelter which was very dark and smelly we had to go. There was only candle light; we sat on this long slatted bench about 30 of us infants. Our teachers told us to sing 鈥淭en Green Bottles Hanging on the Wall鈥� by the time I went to senior school, I could sing it backwards. I did not realise how serious the events were in the skies above us and around us, when running around the playground at school pretending to be a fighter planer shooting down other 6 year old boys playing the game too.

My Grandmother did her bit for the War Effort for she had known the First World War. This was printed in a local newspaper, headed 鈥淣ot too old to Knit鈥� -

鈥淲hen Alderman H. Collar, Mayor of Heston and Isleworth in 1939 made an appeal to the burgesses to knit articles to be sent to Middlesex men serving with forces. A 77 year old Heston resident saw an opportunity of doing her little bit in a quiet way. In spite of her advancing years, Mrs Rebecca Hunt, of 112, The Crossways, Heston, applied for wool and began to ply her needles on behalf of the Comforts Fund and here is her record 鈥� 61 pairs of socks, five scarves, two pullovers (each 27 inches long), one pair of sea boot stockings, and a helmet. She is still carrying on the good work and does not wear glasses when knitting. She has a son in the Australian Home Guard and another was in the last World War.鈥�

My father was a farm worker so was not called up to fight in the War though he fought in the First World War. He volunteered at the age of 16 year of age. In 1941 he left us and moved away from the factory鈥檚 and Airfields of Heston and Heathrow (Fairy Aviation test airfield). My mother was not going to be moved just because of Hitler, she came from a military family who were well know in Houslow and Isleworth (Royal Scots Greys & Royal Fusiliers).

When Hitler sent the 鈥淒oodle Bugs鈥� (Flying Bombs) over in the daytime we watched our fighter planes trying to shoot them down. These were the ones, which missed London and flew on our village, Heathrow, now of course London Airport. We also had an anti-aircraft gun emplacement in an orchard across the road from our house. One night a German bomber tried to hit it, but lucky for them it missed and nearly hit our house, it fell next door but one in the back garden breaking windows and blowing the backdoor in. In the morning, us kids went hunting for shrapnel.

My part in this War came when it was over. I was called up into the RAF and volunteered for three years: two of them in the Forces of Occupation at Rinteln Army Hospital and Wedberg RAF Hospital in Germany.

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