大象传媒

Dear Sir. 20 02 2004.

I was born on the 30th of December 1937, and lived at 249 Murchison Road,Leyton, London E.10, down our road we had two doodlebugs and one V.2. Rocket, fall on our people, and on one occasion I was playing with two of my mates at cowboys and Indians, outside their house, and I was the cowboy, so the Indians caught me and tied me up against a tree in our street, as there was big popular trees about every twenty feet on both sides of the road, and it so happens they tied me up with wire, so no matter how I tried I could not free myself, I must have been about four at the time, well as they where having fun dancing around the tree, you know how Indians do, and I was struggling to get free, and as I wanted to shoot them with my guns, Then all of a sudden the air raid warnings went off, well that noise put the fear into every youngster, so they rushed into their home and left me still tied up, to this big tree outside their house with no means of escape as every time I struggled, the wire got tighter, so I was all on my own down a deserted street, with the sirens blasting their haunting sound, as I knew, even at that young age, there was trouble coming, I think if my memory serves me right I was crying for my Mum and Dad, and was bent over as the wire was around my stomach, and my hands where around the back tied tightly, Then along came a man, he was in a nice suit with collar and tie and a waistcoat, at that time a waistcoat was important, well he untied me and said 鈥渞ush on home David鈥� I did not realise at the time, that he was our neighbour, so I rushed home to go into the air raid shelter, which was at the bottom of our garden. After a certain amount of time, I don鈥檛 how long it was, it could have been one hour or maybe two, at that age you don鈥檛 have a good memory for time, anyway the all clear was sounded , so we came out of our air raid shelters, and went into the street to see the damaged what had happened, and to my horror, and my parents, we noticed that the tree that I had been tied to, and the house where my two friends lived was there no more, it had completely gone, blown off the face of the earth. So my two young pals died on that day playing with me, and their parents also perished, and to think I was saved by my kind neighbour, who happen by chance to passing my way at that time, sometimes I think to myself 鈥淲hat If鈥�

There is loads more I could tell you , like the time my Mum was blown into the air raid shelter with a bomb, or the time my baby brother nearly got killed with the V.2. Rocket, and the day our roof fell in with the bombs, or perhaps the day I found live bullets and dropped them on the floor, and Mum swept them up with a dustpan and brush and put them on an open fire and nearly killed one of us, but no to any of that, I would like to tell you about when I and my brother where evacuated.

I don鈥檛 know what year it was, as I was only very young but I do remember going to the train station with my gasmask, and a label tied around my neck, my Mum came with us but at the time I did not know why, it became clear later on, we went to Leyton train station with lots of other children who did not take their Mums, but I do know it was a steam train and we went for miles and miles, and when we got to our final destination it was dark, and we where in a police station, somewhere in the back of beyond as they spoke, well it seemed different to me, I remember the police had a big bell on the front of the car as they used it from time to time, and I remember going to house after house and being refused entry , and at the final straw the police said this is the last one we are going to try, and they stuck the foot in the door so it would not shut, and told the woman she had to take us in, eventually she agreed, and let us in .
Now this was a great big house with grounds in Lake Windermere, a smashing place with a dog called Roamer, to me and my brother it was going from a two bedroom flat, and going to a castle with lots of countryside all around, and rooms the size of ballrooms, Mum had her own bedroom and we had to have a sons bedroom, I do believe he was a Spitfire Pilot,,as there was lots of models in the glass cabinet near our bed, plus there where lots of other toys in the bedroom, and I don鈥檛 mean any ole toys, I mean first class toys,. At that time my Dad stayed in London, and used to come at weekends to visit us, not every weekend as he was not welcomed by the lady of the house, infact he and my Mum used to have a secret code for him when the Lady of the house was not in, that was in the dead of night my Mum used to flick the light switch up and down a few times, as to say if he could enter or not,. All I remember about Lake Windermere is that it used to have sea planes on it, and we where forbidden to go there, it must have been in early summer as we did not have to go to school at that time, but the worst was to come, as the idyllic days where soon to be over and we had to go to school, I think it was called Lake Ironside, and they had to drag me there , and I mean drag me? As we had to stay there and if I remember, sleep there to. And that鈥檚 when I was introduced to my baby brother, So that鈥檚 why my Mum came with us, she was pregnant, I remember I was at the school, Mum brought my baby brother to show him of, and the first time I set eyes on him. My God I thought he was Ugly, he had spots all over his face, so I ran of as I did not want to know him, I went an hid, and they called out the police to try and find me but they couldn鈥檛, after a very long time they found me hiding in a cupboard, and that is far as my memory go鈥檚 of that time in my life. Mind you there are a few more snippets still left that I can recall, but that is for another day, or I could you about the day I found out the truth about my Mother, and what her family where afraid of in World War Two. It was near to the end of our Mothers Life, my Mum used to like a drink, so My Dad used to take her to Yates Wine Lodge which used to be in the Strand, near Trafalgar Square, London, they used to frequent the place a few times a week and sometimes come home a little worst for ware, and sometimes I would join them, when I had money in my pocket, this was at a time when I was single, and just had myself to worry about, but one night, I cannot remember a specific date, but lets just say it was a night I had money in my pocket and I was at a loose end, I decided to join my parents at the Wine bar, I met them about eight thirty p.m. and we had a few drinks, and in the bar,, there where two bars where you could drink from, the front bar or the back bar, my Mum used to like the back bar as there was a Spanish waiter there, and I do think he had the Hots for my Mum as because when you order a single port for her, he would always give her a double, and sometimes he would come up with a drink just for Mum, especially a drambuie, anyway as the night wore on and my Mum was getting these extra drinks, we was all getting careless with our words, especially Mum, so after a good night we made our way back to our home which by then it was just before midnight, so my Dad got out , as he always did, a bottle of Port, by that time my Mum had enough, and was talking like she had never talked before, and of course we got onto the last war and how glad that our family had survived, and then she came out with a funny statement, saying it is all due to Grandma, now I was curious at that statement and ask Mum what do you mean, then the truth came out. That my Granddad, who died before I was born was a true German and could not speak a word of English, and his name was Benjamin Schneeberger, and they was so afraid of what people might do, if they found out, so my Gran change her surname to Hudson, and I don鈥檛 mean through a deed poll, she just change it, I do not know where the name Hudson come from as my Gran maiden name was Dear as I have my Mums birth certificate to prove it, so that came to me as a bolt out of the blue, but it just shows you what people did, and was afraid of, all of them years ago, I suppose my Mum was right about my Gran, she done it for her family and her descendents, I just sometimes wonder what would have happened if she had done nothing, 鈥渨ould I be still here鈥�? 鈥淥h鈥� if I could only go back in time and meet my Gran, as we only knew her as Granny Hudson, and ask her what really happened, and maybe thank her for a bravery, and her thoughtfulness for her descendents, 鈥淭hanks Gran鈥� it is only now that I think of the torment you must have gone through to make that decision, to deny the existence of your one and only true Love 鈥測our husband 鈥� the one that you gave you three daughters, and you did not know it, lots of Grand children. Well Granddad and Grandma I will raise my glass to you for your courage and I will make sure that your bravery will be passed down through the generations that are yet to come, and I will promise you, that you will never be forgotten, and you never know, I might see you one day鈥︹�︹��.?

Mr.D.B.Vaughan,
Hilgay,
Downham Market,
Norfolk.
PE38

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