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Shopping with mother at the local shops in Staines Road, Twickenham, Middlesex siren went, we raced to the shelter on Twickenham Green as many others did. Some people slept/lived in these shelters. The shelter showed above ground like a large heap of soil. Fortunately we had a shelter in our back garden at 17 Mereway Road, Twickenham shared with the man and woman across the road. When the siren went they had to race (they always had our key) through our front door, through our best front room then the living room and kitchen out into our garden to the shelter. I recall our shelter being small with steps going down into it. It showed just like a small heap of soil on ground level.

The door led down what seemed like many steps into a corridor. This corridor had bunk beds either side of a narrow walk-way — difficult for two people to pass — these beds looked very messy some made others not, don’t know if they had sheets, some had people on them — the smell was terrible, urine, bodies. We extras had to cram in the corridor — walk-way — between the bunk beds. I remember thinking glad I don’t have to sleep here. Urine pots were under some bunks. When all clear went we’d come out and it was lovely. During all this time I was too young to really worry I had my mother with me although the siren noise frightened me each time it went.

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