大象传媒

In 1931 I left the High School in Bromsgrove and became an apprentice in the Meter Dept of the S W + S Electric Co at Aston Fields. By 1939 I had been given a job testing equipment in substations as far away as Dudley Smethwick and Halesowen. Two of us travelled in a small Austin van. My partner was friendly with a young man who lived in Bromsgrove but worked in Birmingham. The van was giving trouble and he agreed to check it if we called in in Birmingham.

So one morning we set out for Dudley via Birmingham. There had been an enormous Air Raid on Birmingham and when we reached Bristol St the road was closed and a sign said. Go Via. There was not a soul about and no one to ask. We wandered off going toward Holloway Head, in small streets with cottages. Every window was blown out and everywhere deserted.

Looking through open windows the damage was absolute disaster, but in one house hung a land mine. About a hundred yards away was another in a similar position. I told my partner who was suitably impressed but we could not turn back for debris everywhere.

We arrived at the workshop and knocked on the door. Our friend opened it in the middle of shaving. They had been firewatching and out all night. Everyone had gone home to breakfast.

How on earth had we got there? There were land mines everywhere, several of which had exploded.

We explained and hurredly headed for Dudley by another route. Had we triggered one of these, we and the van would have remained a mystery for ever.

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