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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jan Bedford of Kent County Council Maidstone Library on behalf of Doris Gilbert and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Staplehurst Library People’s War

(written account)
Mrs Doris Gilbert

I was eleven years old when the war started on 3rd September 1939, living in Croydon (South London). I can remember that day, I was staying at my Aunt’s house. After war was declared my father came to take me home straightaway. I was not evacuated as my father was having to go away and my mother, brother and myself were supposed to go along too — that didn’t work out. I did not go to school at all for over six months, they were all shut after the children’s evacuation. During a further six months I attended school for half a day only. The schools were then being opened as some of the children were coming back home.

The bombing had started and was quite bad in Croydon day and night. If we heard the warning during the night and the anti-aircraft guns started, we had to get up out of our beds, grab our pile of clothes left ready and go downstairs pretty quickly. (I think that is why I cannot lay in bed at night during an overhead thunderstorm to the present day). The black-out was very strict, no lights to be shown outside from the buildings and there were no street lights.

My mother got fed up with being on her own, so dad made arrangements for us to live just outside Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire to be near him. I went to school there and made a life in a new place for about two years. In 1943 there was a daylight air-raid and a bomb fell on the house. If it hadn’t been that I had gone back for a raincoat I would have been right in its path. I was injured and had to go to the medical centre. It must have been terrible for my mother and brother to come back from the shops to find the house in ruins and me not there. Still it all worked out. We stayed at a friend’s house while dad made arrangements for us to go back to our house in Croydon which, fortunately, had not been damaged in the raids there. I had to attend the hospital, so another period without schooling. My father paid fees for a place in Croydon College for me in 1944 — I’m fifteen years old now.

At this time the flying bombs started — Doodle Bugs we called them. They played havoc with everything. One went about one’s life and after the warning sounded, if we heard the engine of the bomb cut out, we took cover. I could get part of the way to college on my bicycle and then take cover in the shelter and eventually carry on. By the time I got to college I would probably have to take shelter with all the other students there. It disrupted our work, but being children we did not worry. I must say life went on, my mother was great with obtaining food despite the rationing. I never went hungry despite the shortages. We did have our ration of sweets, very small compared with today. Also there were no bananas, we made up with other fruits though.

I remember staying with friends near Ware in Hertfordshire and one day the sky was filled with aircraft towing gliders. To our amazement one glider broke away and landed in the field behind the house. We went over to see it and were surprised that the men were inside it. We took them some sandwiches and drinks and they let us look over the glider. I remember inside and outside everything was highly polished and so smooth. I said it’s a good job it didn’t land on the roof of our house, one the men remarked, it wouldn’t have damaged the house it’s quite lightweight. He didn’t seem to count the weight of a jeep and the men inside it! My friend and I were sorry this glider came down as it had medical supplies for the wounded, which would be greatly needed for this part of the invasion of Europe. It wasn’t long before the RAF sent men to guard the glider and no one was allowed near it, so we had a lucky experience around the time of D-Day.

There were various incidents of German aircraft machine-gunning the streets and we had to get inside somewhere very, very quickly as one can imagine. That was rather frightening for me.

My wartime effort was a weekly collection around the houses for the Red Cross, they certainly needed the money and people gave generously.

The final frightening thing was after again returning to Croydon was the V2 Rockets. There was no warning for these, one only knew after the explosion and a vast amount of buildings blown up. If you knew that you were all right. They used to say you do not hear the one coming to hit you and I know from my own experience that is true.

The war finally finished in Europe in 1945 and all the neighbours and their children, my friends and family had a great street party to celebrate and give thanks for survival. So we all carried on with our lives. It was great not to have to carry a gas mask around in its little box everywhere with you, but we still had ration books and identity cards for a long time after peace was declared.

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