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Greenford is about 5 miles from Northolt airport at which a polish fighter squadron was based, so it was not uncommon for dog fights to happen. One afternoon I was on my way to junior school, when the air raid sirens sounded. I was halfway to school, so I decided to continue to school when a dog fight began overhead, of course I just had to stop and watch it. I didn’t see any of the air craft damaged. Anyway, whilst the raid was still on I continued onto school. I was in trouble! And I had to write out 100 times ‘I must not be out in an air raid’.
London, as the crow flies was about ten —fifteen miles from Greenford and during the Blitz it was usual to see the night sky trn orange as London began burning and I well remember a bus conductor saying ‘London’s taking a packet tonight’.
During the day in Greenford it was not unusual to pick up bits of shrapnel to keep as souvenirs as Greenford was bombed at one time. Its thought that the German bomber could not find his target so he just dropped his bombs anywhere.
One other item was a Messer knight 109 was damaged and emergency landed in Ravenor Park, and it was a great delight, as children, to be allowed to sit in the cockpit. I remember the smell in the cockpit, as it was a completely different smell to an English fighter plane.

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