大象传媒

It was 9 o-clock on a grey Sunday morning in the Autumn of 1943, I was four years old - I'm just going for a walk round the square I said to my grand-dad. The square was down Alexander Road turn right into Garden Road, a rough sandy stone road about 300 yards long, with a gas lamp mid-way, some of my playmates lived in Garden Road but nobody was about at that time on a Sunday morning. At the top end of Garden Road turn right into Morley Road, again a rough sandy stone road. I walked up its incline kicking stones as I meandered along. At the top end of Morly Road I turned right down Holway Road. The road was deserted, I was just by brothers Robin and Brian's home, two good plymates of mine when I heard and quckly saw a plane coming up the road towards me, it was flying just above the treetops and I as it got closer I could see the markigs on it's side a Black Cross, the piolet had the conopy open he threw out a red and a green flairs, to my delight. As it passed very low overhead two or three solders rushed out of the house next to Robin and Brian's to see what the comotion was, one had a loaded rifle, and he quickly took aim at the plane which by now was futher up the road and climbing over some taller trees towards the woodlands.

I told the soldiers I was ok and ran the rest of the way home to tell my mum and grand-dad what had happened. They were astonished at my story but said your porridge is nearly ready 'Do you want pepper and salt or sugar on it?'

Shortly after this I gathered that the same plane
had turned about and had come screaming down Holway Road fireing bullets at random, one bullet took a chunk out of top front of our house. As Holway Road pointed directly towards the North Sea it would have been over the sea in no time and on his way back to Holland.

It must have been all the local talk for the following days but very few people knew of my walk round the square that grey Sunday morning.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.