大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Neil Coleman. He fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

The Council delivered a load of 6鈥漻6鈥� and built a cage about six foot x eight foot x six foot high in the cellar into which Mum and Dad moved some iron bedsteads and bedding and when sirens sounded we came from our third floor bedroom to the cellar. At this time, Mum called the house Reno, after the well-known divorces capital in Nevada, U.S.A because Geoff鈥檚 Dad and Mum had separated, and his Dad lived with us 鈥� he was Mum鈥檚 brother, also Dad鈥檚 brother-in-law, Uncle Dick was also separated, and he too, lived with us.

Christmas Eve 1940 came upon us and it was decided that Dad would unchain the grating to the coal-cellar, which was next to the big cellar, now shored-up to protect us all from bombs, to allow Santa easy access with his sack of presents, and to prevent him being caught in mid-chimney is Jerry came over a-bombing on that special night. Geoff and me were in a single bed pretending to be asleep whilst all the grown-ups were in the kitchen, which was next to the cellars. We were waiting for the exciting promised moment when Santa would drop down the coal-chute and deliver the goods! Alas, we waited and waited, and just as sleep came upon us, the big cellar door creaked open. Geoff nudged me and said 鈥楽anta鈥檚 here!鈥� Then he said, 鈥楴o it isn鈥檛 Santa, it鈥檚 Uncle Dick!鈥� But he had brought a Meccano set and a model fort for us to share and at breakfast Uncle Dick said he鈥檇 met Santa in the Clowes Arms in Portsmouth Road and asked if he could bring our presents home as the coal chute would muck up his red suit, and it would save Santa a journey 鈥� so all was well that ended well at Christmas 1940.

In 1941, Dad also met Santa in the Clowes, and saved him another journey on Christmas Eve, and so we lived happily ever after.

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