大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Stoke-on-Trent Libraries on behalf of
Bernard Frain and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was 10 years old and in the garden with my father who was an air raid warden . I heard the whistle of the bombs which fell on the the Doulton factory and Sneyd Green. The steeple was demolished and I told all my friends at school the next day.
School was in shifts and groups of children went either 9.30-12.30 or 2.00-4.30 and if the siren went off when you were at home you missed school completely. 5 uncles were in the forces.in Paras,Marines,Engineers,India and Burma and they all came back safely.In fact neighbours who were in the forces also came safely.
One uncle remembered Churchill's visit to the men in Midle east promising them turkey for Xmas dinner and all they got was soup with an extra ingredient!!
Our shelter was at the top of the garden but my mother would not go into it and stayed in the house with the twins.
I did accompany my father on the patrols which started 8pm but I got sent home to bed before the end at 11pm.

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