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I remember the first German aircraft I saw — it was the second job I’d worked on as an apprentice in my father’s business. We were in a house in Oxford Road in Moseley, Birmingham and abut 2pm there was an air raid warning and father called to look — I went out and there was a German aircraft, I think it was a Dornier and it was flying very sedately in a line parallel with Oxford Road and I could distinctly see the crosses under the wings. There were anti-aircraft guns on Swanners Park, they were 4.7’s and quite useless, they were far too heavy! One round was fired and the flak was a long way off this aircraft, this was followed by another one which was the same distance, still a long way off, then a third one which formed a triangle. None of these were any where near these aircraft and of course at the time we thought that if that was the best we could do we’d better put up the white flag! I realise now that the last thing we wanted to do was to fetch down an enemy bomber, probably fully loaded with bombs, into a populated area. In the next couple of years I heard and saw many more German aircraft, I certainly didn’t take the same laid back attitude and certainly didn’t stay to see if I could spot the crosses under the wings!

The first bombs I remember on Birmingham were on Rookery Park in Erdington, my relations lived quite close to there and we went across to see the crater, it was quite small and I thought that it wouldn’t be so bad if it was all like this! This was a case of ignorance is bliss!

All through the war we my father and I (as Painters and Decorators) carried out painting and decorating and repairs to broken windows. We painted out glass on roofs, which were good markers for enemy aircraft in daylight. Later in the war many of the factories had wooden roofs and to diminish the fire rush from incendiaries we applied a product to the roof structure that would give some protection. It was very difficult to apply and could be quite dangerous as it contained carbolic or an ammonia substance. We should’ve had goggles but this was before modern day health and safety at work regulations! I remember at the height of the bombing we did a job at the Ryvita biscuit factory in Bordesley. They’d been hit by a bomb and had blown off the roof of the lab. We did a lot of work for a builder in Alfred Street, Sparkbrook and they’d rebuilt the lab and we finished it off with the painting. A couple of weeks later I was left to finish off the job on my own. I went to the factory on the bus and when I got the whole factory had gone and was still burning. The incendiary bombs had set fire to the factory and the fat and margarine burnt fiercely, not only that the bomb had gone through the water main meaning that there was no water for the firemen to fight the flames, they could only stand and watch. I telephoned my father to tell him that the factory had gone. One of the things that there was a real shortage of during the war was paint brushes — so all my father seemed to be worried about was his brushes which we’d left in the factory. He asked me to see if I could go in and get them out! No chance — I wasn’t going in there however essential the brushes were!

I remember we worked on some empty houses on the Alcester Road, we arrived one morning and the police were there and the road was closed — we said that we wanted to get to the house but the police told us that there was an unexploded landmine hanging in a tree in one of the gardens. We must’ve been working on this house with the landmine without realising it. My father wanted to collect his brushes but the police wouldn’t let him as it was so dangerous. My father said he was at Passion dale and this situation was nothing to him, so the police told him if he wanted to risk it then he could go in — so he did!

This story was submitted to the People’s War website by Diana Wilkinson of the CSV Action Desk at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Hereford and Worcester and has been added to the site with Mr Harry Devy’s permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

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