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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Karolyn Milam of Uckfield Community Learning Centre, a volunteer from ´óÏó´«Ã½ southern Counties Radio on behalf of Mr. James Smith and has been added to the site with his/her permission. Mr. James Smith fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

On this particular day, 21st July 1944 at 8.15 am my mother asked me to go up to the ‘Old Rectory’ which was a big house in Lewes. My Father was a gardener there. The house was given over to the evacuees as a hospital. My dad served in the First World War and was too old to serve in the Second World War, but still wanted to do his bit for the war effort so he was ‘digging for victory’. Dad had forgotten his lunch and Mum asked me if I would take it along to him before I set out for school. Dad was working in the Kitchen Garden, which was a big paddock. Just as I arrived Dad said ‘There’s a doodlebug coming’. It crashed on top of Kingston Ridge which is a bit of high ground overlooking Kingston Village. The blast from the doodlebug, which was a good mile and a half away, blew both of us on to our backs. Dad asked me if I was o.k and I asked ‘what was that?’ Dad told me that it was the blast from the doodlebug and if the ridge had not been there Kingston would not exist today; it would have been totally destroyed.

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