大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War website by Pamela (Bell) Baldwin of the CSV 大象传媒 Coventry & Warwickshire Action Desk on behalf of Daisy Lowndes(nee Bell) and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

On the 14th November 1940 (Blitz night), my sister Pamela celebrated her 3rd birthday wrapped up inside my mother's coat in a shelter in Humber Road, Coventry. Our house was badly damaged that night.My mother was Lavinia May Bell. My father Federick Bell was in Lancaster having been moved there from Coventry to work. My eldest sistet, Winnifred said the bombing started at 7 pm that night and went on until 7 am the next day. Arthur, her fiance at the time went out during the bombing and said the whole sky was alight from the burning city of Coventry.

The next day mmy mother took me and Pamela in her pushchair through the smoking ruins of the Cathedral where timbers were still burning. Everytime we tries to go one way towards Radford to my grandma's house we were turned back this way and that. Eventually we were told it was just as bad everywhere and everyone was being evacuated. Mom decided to go back 'home'. On the way, which was late at night, in the 'black-out', there was non-one about. We were on the Binley Road and there was a large crater which mom accidently slipped down a way as it was all muddt. I had to tell mom to hang on to Pam's pushchair so I could pull her up. Evantually we go back to Humber Road and slept under the stairs. We had nothing to drink because there wasn't any water.

In the morning my brother Fred came with a can of water so we could have a drink. Then mom decided to try and get a train to Lancaster to my father. Gathering a few things together, she took me and Pam in her pushchair. We couldn't get to Coventry station because it was bombed so we had to make our way To Nuneaton. We walked until an army vehicle staopped and asked us where we were going and gave us a list to Nuneaton station.

We managed to get on a train packed full of soldiers and other forces. We eventually arrived in Lancaster by which time it was dark and cold. My mother inquired where the road was where my father was billeted, which she knew was quite near the station.

My father didn't know we were coming as they couldn't get any information through about Coventry because there wasn't any communications. He was on his way to the police station to see if there was any news yet.

It was very dark and we were walking over a bridge towards the road we were to go to. My mother saw someone walking towards us and she thought she recognised the person's walk and she called out "Fred" and he called out "Win" and they ran towards each other hugging and crying with relief that we were all alive.

My father took us back to the lady who he was billeted with who welcomed us warmly. We were given food and drink and a lovely hot bath and we were put to bed.

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