大象传媒

My memories of the 2nd World War are really just a series of cameos.

I was held in my father's arms at night, looking towards the City, there was a red glow, apparently all over London.
This was the Blitz, I was 3 years old.

Until we had our own shelter, we used to go to our neighbour's house presumably feeling there was safety in numbers.
Uncle Charlie used to sing to me "If only we had some eggs, we could have some eggs and bacon, if only we had, some bacon in the morning".
Was this a popular song of the time?

On one occasion I do remember waking up, lying on our dining room floor, my dad lying on top of me, and mum covering my brother, as bombs fell all around us. We found it hilarious not so now, when you realise the danger we must all have been in.
I hated our shelter, although a very superior one.
It was built in the house, in the garage actually.
I remember there were lots of spiders, and it always smelt of concrete dust.

I was frightened a couple of times, once when I was in the loo and the sirens went off. My father stood outside, I pictured a bomb falling and leaving me sitting on the loo with the rest of the house gone.
I think I must have seen a picture of this in the paper minus a little girl perched there, of course.
Another time l was visiting my friend across the road, and a doodlebug went silent overhead.
I knew these bombs travelled a little further before they landed, I was convinced it would land on our house, it actually landed about three miles away.

It was my ninth birthday, 8th May 1945 I was heartbroken because when dad came home from work, he switched on the radio to listen to the 6 o'clock news rather than celebrate my birthday straight away.

It was VE Day (Victory in Europe) an even more important than my special day!

Pam Cox

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