大象传媒

This was a worrying and hazardous time for us all. We soon got used to seeing vapour trails from the planes in the sky, but nights were
difficult and noisy. My father had erected an Anderson shelter in the
garden, partly submerging it in the ground and covering it with soil, as advised by the government. He laid on electricity so that we could have some light at night, although it was not a very strong light. We were also able to boil a kettle to make a cup of tea. We had a battery radio
and so were able to listen to the news and to our favourite programmes.

The worst day was 15 September, when the air-raid warning sounded for most of the day. We spent the day in the shelter while dog-fights went on overhead.

Nights were spent in the shelter, where my father had constructed three bunk beds. Not many bombs fell on our part of Surrey, but anti-aircraft guns fired for most of the night, making it very noisy and so difficult to sleep. Throughout the war, we always slept with a small packed suitcase, containing a change of clothing, by our side in case we were bombed and had to get out of the shelter or house quickly.

In spite of lack of sleep, life had to go on in the daytime. I was
teaching domestic science in Epsom, but a good part of the school day was spent in the air-raid shelter. As soon as the air-raid siren went off, all the children had to get to the shelter quickly and the teacher's job was to keep the children quiet and amused - not an easy task in a dark shelter.

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