大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site Katherine Campbell from WW2 Team on behalf of Nell Chillingford and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was a VAD nurse, but I didn't go overseas. I worked in an Infirmary of elderly patients from the workhouse. I remember Hitler going into Czechoslavakia and Chamberlain coming back to Britain saying war was delayed. Shortly afterwards, with my husband to be and several other young people, we made up boxes of gas masks. I had passed several exams for Home Nursing and First Aid and 2 for gas warfare - but I can't remember anything about them, probably because it was never needed.

The first year, we saw dogfights over the Solent. It was strange how we grew to hear the difference between the sounds of our and their planes. Several landmines dropped. One morning, walking to the hospital, I heard the drone of the German plane, and to my amazement I glanced up and saw the landmine above me. I walked to the communal shelter, and down the steps. As I arrived, I heard voices. They were getting ready for work and school. I felt I was intruding, so I turned and left. As I left, I heard the giant explosion of the mine which destroyed six houses, completely.

Another time, we had a bomb very near us. Vickers Armstrong was nearby was the target. This time, the post office was destroyed. There is a wonderful medieval bargate in the old walls. Inside, there was shelter for 100 people. On the two nights of the Blitz, at the end of November and start of December 1940, they demolished, they destroyed the main shopping centre in two raids.

I married in 1940. My husband was a sanitary inspector, in the medical corps. He was stationed in Sherborne. We were due to marry at 2pm on 11th May in Fremantle Church in Southampton. The previous day, Hitler had invaded Holland and Belgium, and unknown to myself, because I was busy with preparations for the wedding, I hadn't realised. I was due to meet my husband at the station, but found crowds of people running in all directions. I got a message that Ron was waiting at home. Apparently he had driven up on a motorcycle, as he'd heard that leave was cancelled. His officer realised he was due to get married, so fortunately Ron was lent a motorcycle and he rushed to get married. We met them at a bungalow his landlady lent to us, and he returned to Sherborne, luckily without getting stopped. So we were lucky to spend the night together.

I worked in an evacuee hostel for evacuees from London, in Sherborne, called The Beeches. My son was born in 1942 so I worked there till then.

I happened to be staying with my parents over VE Day. My father was on night work. My mother and Richard, my son, went to Southampton centre. I had missed the lights so much during the war, and suddenly they were back on.

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