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MEMORIES OF WORLD WAR II

At the time I was 9 years old with two brothers of 8 years and 7 years and a sister of 6 months old. We grew up very quickly — not children any more. I remember watching the dogfight in the air over Croydon. We lived in Tooting. We had another home, a concrete air raid shelter in our garden. Our dog (Floss) used to let us know when the distant siren went off before our local one sounded, so we were in the shelter a few minutes before time.
First we had the high explosive (H.E) bombs, then the fire of London incendiary bombs. I sat on my father’s lap crying. The boys were asleep on a mattress on the shelter floor surrounded with gas masks. People used to take shelter in the Underground Stations. One disaster happened when the tunnel was flooding. The floodgates were closed and many people were drowned. We had nightly bombing raids. The ack ack guns were on Tooting Bec Common. So, in all, very noisy nights. Then we had Buzz Bombs . When the engine stopped, they dropped down like a brick and exploded. The Rocket Bombs were worse — no noise, just a whoosh and bang. At night Lord Haw Haw came on the radio just for an added bit of excitement telling us who was going to be bombed next. Tooting Granada was on the agenda. Bombs were dropped all around, but missed it. Kids ran around the streets collecting shrapnel. This is just some of the downsides, but Londoners never lost their sense of humour.
At 14 years old, I left school and worked in a munition dump, feeding a machine with links to belt bullets. Our little Island gardens were turned into allotments and we lived on the food we grew, helped out with Spam and dried egg.
I could bore you with a lot more. Rations, black market evacuation of children. Hope this has been a little interesting.

Signed: G. Adkins

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