- Contributed byÌý
- nottinghamcsv
- People in story:Ìý
- Mr Berry
- Location of story:Ìý
- Cromer, Norwich
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A4074987
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 16 May 2005
"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Nottingham on behalf of Mr Berry with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"
We lived in Cromer, my grandparents lived in Norwich when Norwich had been raided, I was about 3 or 4 years old. We used to catch the bus in Cromer to Norwich, it took hours to get there and they dropped you off as near as they could because all the fires hadn’t been put out, my mother couldn’t recognise where we were sometimes and had to ask firemen. My grandparents had a little pub, when we got to the pub it was late afternoon and we couldn’t get back so had to stay over, the Germans returned on the second night — they could see where the fires were.
It was part of the Baedek, they were bombing cathedral cities in retaliation.
We had to go in a shelter at night underground which held quite a few people, we sat on benches, the noise was anti aircraft fire / the bombs- there was a lot of noise.
During one air raid bombs were dropping in Higham, the adults put their coats over their heads and ducked down in the shelter- you could feel the benches vibrating.
In the morning the all clear went, someone carried me up the stairs, you could see all the glow of fires all around Norwich.
My grandfather always refused to go in the shelter, he used to stay in the pub and have a drink. He’d been in the war before and said they didn’t frighten him then and wouldn’t frighten him now.
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