大象传媒

I remember well my parents and I having to move back to Birmingham to Summer Lane - from Walsall, where we heard the first air-raid siren which was a very unusual sound and gave aforeboding awareness of what was to come. We spent the first night down the pub cellar - where my parents were managers for a Birmingham brewery.
So, it was, we went right into the bombing raids - what a traumatic experience. I still remember it now, (at age 74), when the bombs were whistling down, more often than not, we and customers, would be down in the cellar (hoping for the best, that we were'nt a target, although some other soul would be), and with this very close whistling of the bombs, we would see big flames shoot across the girders of the cellar ceiling. We did think 'this was it', but it was not so, fortunately.
My father was an air-raid warden at the time and would go and do his 'duty' at a firm around the corner - I think it was called Neweys, or something similar. They used to have nightshift workers and quite a few were customers of the pub we had. One night, they left the pub to go and do their nightshift, but unfortunately this was their last night - as an oil bomb (so we were told) had been dropped right on this firm - my father had finished his shift there, what time I don't know, but it was reported by someone that they had seen a man shaking the hands of some of the dead - this was my father. I also, the next morning saw them bringing these poor souls out covered with bags, some small and some larger, I don't think I stopped to look any further. Very very sad time.
There was also one raid - especially when the moon was out - they dropped incendiaries in the pub yard, but also, one plane must have come that low, and machine-gunned the shutters that we had on the front pub door. I must say I myself did not hear this, but I saw the holes in the shutters after.
I eventually was sent to friends at Great Barr (not far away I know), but I never heard bombs there, only in the distance, where I could see fires and searchlights also way into the distance. My parents were fortunately ok - I think the Gods were with us!
I was finally shipped back home as my parents had to move to Sparkbrook and in time my sister was born on the last air-raid.
Looking back now, I think were safer then than we are today - with all the crime that is going on - of which I have been a victim myself unfortunately!
But I have survived.

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