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I was 17 years old when war was declared. At the same time I joined the Home Guard at my local police station. When the bombings started in earnest I used to go out at night and end up running from shelter to shelter up Gerrard Street (the one night we were all in the shelter and my brother came down, my father had to go in munitions My mum made my brother stop with us and later on the house on the other side got bombed and blew out our shop window (bicycle and fishing tackle) and roof. The walls surrounding our house was suddenly full of wardens who had thought that it was our house that was bombed. Thankfully it wasn’t. Four girls were down in the cellar of the house. Their dad chose not to go and he survived. When we go back upstairs where my brother’s head would have been was a huge block of concrete. We were then evacuated to someone else’s house.

When our Dad came home — he was worried that we were all hit. I kept going home to help with the flooding. Then I saw my Dad and told him we were all OK. Not ONE thing was looted in the shop. I don’t think that would happen today!

When I was demobbed I had £67 (a lot back then) just before I met my wife. She got rid of my clothing coupons! We spent the £67 getting married!

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Gordon Edwards and has been added to the site with his permission. Gordon Edwards fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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