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(This story has been submitted to the People's War website by a volunteer from Radio Northampton and has been added to the site with Arnold Maddams's permission through the Rushden Historial Society. Mr Maddams understands the sites terms and conditions).

Living in Harborough Road and therefore attending Newton Road School I was not directly involved in the bombing of Alfred Street. The day however remains clearly in my mind.

It was a normal school day with classes proceeding as usual until the sudden succession of explosions. Half the class dived on the floor as no siren had sounded. We were soon all ushered into the shelters by the teachers who got us singing 鈥淭en Green Bottles鈥� and a parent or friend who could vouch for you, came to escort you home. Mr Loakes, the father of a friend of mine (Derick) came along and said I will take Arnold as he lives opposite.

The news later was sad indeed but being inquisitive boys we went down the town the next day to view the damage.

The Robert Street bomb was rather closer to Harborough Road and is still vivid to me. The whistle was startlingly loud and brother Denis and I were under the bed in double quick time. I well remember Dad鈥檚 decisive action as he ordered Denis to get dressed and accompany him whilst I was to say with Mum. Dad would got to Grandma鈥檚 in Robinson Road and Denis would go to Uncle Horace in Newton Road who lived about 6/7 houses further up from the bombs. In fact the bomb had fallen just over the fence of Mr and Mrs Cook (of Cook鈥檚 ice Cream fame) who were Uncle and Aunt to my late wife, Joan. The back of their house was badly damaged and all windows were blown out. Uncle Charlie who was barefoot at the time dashed upstairs to get to the children, Jacqueline and Gordon and an evacuee who was with them but despite the stairs being completely covered with broken glass did not suffer a cut at all.

I remember too the bomb that fell in Willmot鈥檚 field. Another huge whistler after many flares had been dropped. Our house in Harborough Road shook tremendously and those on the field side of the road must have been worse.

In the morning all the boys were up early and off to the field to see the crater and what a size it was. Although various officials were there shooing us away, I still managed to get a sizeable piece of shrapnel which I kept for years. It somehow disappeared in later life.

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