大象传媒

This story has been submitted on behalf of the author by a People's War volunteer story gatherer. The author has been made aware of the site's House Rules.

The story has been submitted in conjunction with the Jersey War Tunnels Museum.

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A recent television programme called 鈥淒oodlebug Summer鈥� brought back a powerful memory for me.

A man had lost his father as a result of a V1 doodlebug being brought down on a railway bridge in front of the 4.30 train out of Chatham.

I saw that V1 brought down by a Typhoon fighter, which flew alongside and tipped the wing to destabilise the giro system and down it went!

Mother sent me off on my bicycle to find out what had happened to her father as the bridge had collapsed in front of his train.

It was 8 miles of hilly road and I was only 10 years old.

Father caught the 4.30 train every day as he was a schoolmaster in Chatham.

I got to the scene, which was chaotic.

The sergeant of the army, a Captain Mainwaring-type, and the Warden-Hodges person were going in all directions shouting and waving their arms about (in both senses).

Eventually I managed to ask if there was a Sydney George Edney amongst the injured.

All I was able to establish was that he was not listed amongst the dead.

This was because all the adults carried identity cards at that time.

However it was the best I could do - so off I went back home to report to mother.

About 11 o'clock that night father stormed in complaining about the trains. "We had to wait for a bus from Gillingham,鈥� he said.

He had been umpiring a cricket match and it had saved his life.

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