大象传媒

Drinks for the troops.
George (who did not drink much) would keep a crate of beer in the kitchen. When tank convoys passed our house in Rampart Road and stopped for a few minutes, George and Amy would send my brother or me (Betty) out to the tanks with bottles of beer for the men.

I was with my Uncle (Aubrey Searle), the Close Constable, when the siren went. He sent me up into the little room over the High Street gate for safety! Then the bombs fell! 2? 3? Uncle Aubrey had to rush to help a little old lady who had fainted. She thought the end of the world had come but she recovered and no more bombs came.

My father (George Searle) was manager of the Swimming Baths in Castle Street. The Parachute Regiment occasionally used it to train their soldiers to land in water. From the top of the diving board they sat facing alternate ways; they had to jump into the 7鈥�6鈥� water 鈥� in quick succession. One man got his helmet strap caught in his mouth and began to choke. Dad jumped in to save him and got kicked in the stomach with an Army boot, and nearly drowned himself.

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