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This story was submitted to the people war Website by a volunteer from Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life on behalf of W. Barnes.

W. BARNES

My memories of the war include the time when in 1938/9 I was in hospital (aged 11) when war was looming. Soon after war was declared we were issued with gas masks which we had to carry when going to school and other places. If the siren sounded during the day those near enough had to run home until the ‘all clear’ sounded — then back to school.

Everywhere had to be ‘blacked out’ at night — no street lights, even the traffic lights were reduced to a small cross light.

At this time the A.R.P. was functioning and I remember being asked to take a message to the local station — riding my bicycle and having a ride back on the war time fire engine.

The most awful night was when the blitz on Exeter occurred. At our house we had a ‘Morrison’ indoor shelter, a bomb dropped and exploded two streets away and with all the family in the shelter the force of the explosion lifted the shelter off the ground.

It was a terrible sight next day — when I had to go to work to see so much devastation. We had several ‘hit and run’ raids after. For a time there were UXBs found and caused evacuation in the area.

A remarkable thing happened in the early evening of the blitz — all the birds (rooks, crows, etc.) left the area and did not come back until later next day.

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