- Contributed byÌý
- A7431347
- People in story:Ìý
- Freda Hughes and Tony White
- Location of story:Ìý
- Folkestone
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A4291788
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 28 June 2005
My Mum, myself and one of my sisters in 1941
"This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jean Brown and has been added to the website on behalf of Freda Hughes with her permission and she fully understands the site's terms and conditions".
I was 9 (Freda Hughes) living in Dyke Road, Folkestone and coming up from the harbour in 1942 near the railway. The troops used to come up there throwing foreign coins to the kids.
I used to take my year old nephew out in the pram. Across the other side of the railway there was a sweet shop. There were dummy bars of chocolate in the window (so they wouldn't melt) and the window was broken so I was taking them to play shops with. I heard a noise, I though it was a tank. It was a German plane machine gunning the railway line.
I just let go of the pram. A neighbour came out and took me and the pram in. My mum said had I gone across the crossing to get home I'd have been killed.
I was frightened, the noise was dreadful. When the siren for all clear sounded, the neighbours took me home. My mother always said, "God doesn't pay his debts in money", so I thought I was being paid back for stealing. I'd never steal again … it's learnt me a good lesson!
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