大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Nikki Aaron of the Derby Action Desk Team on behalf of Bryan Cogley and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Born shortly before the onset of World War Two my memories are childish ones, seen through the eyes of an innocent participant, with no understanding of the real implications, but a feeling of fears passed on by those around me. My father was away in the army for part of the war and so my mother had the unenviable task of raising two young boys in a climate of uncertainty and imminent danger, as the German bombers carried out its orders to destroy my home city of Coventry. The verb 'koventrieren' was, i understand, introduced into the German language and meant 'to destroy'.

I can well remember my mother waking up my brother and I, to escort us in the cold dark nights to the shelter built in the garden of our neighbours. The warm blankets did little to counteract the sinister experience as two or three families huddled together sharing concerns and hopes for an early all-clear siren.

On the times when our mother chose not to go to the shelter we moved into what we called the 'bogey-hole', under the stairs - a possible safe haven in the event of a hit upon our home. I well remember my friend's different shelter, which seemed to stay in the front room of his home for some time after the war ended. It was a form of iron grille cage, which covered the occupants and gave some form of rigid protection. Then, of course, there were the 'bombed buildings' in our neighbourhood - shops and houses. As I recall these memories I can't begin to think of the fears that my mother must have felt in these times. As we lay in bed listening to the drones of planes overhead our stock question was, "Mum, is it one of ours?" As always, she seemed to be able to re-assure us, or lead us from our warm beds to below stairs or out into the cold night air.

As we were living in a target area for the Luftwaffe - close to an Ordnance Works - my mother, brother and I were evacuated to Polesworth in Staffordshire to a local family. I do not know at what part of the war this was, but I can remember the voice of the lady of that family home, as she seemed to be always shouting at me. Mum said she didn't find me easy as I cried a lot. Perhaps I had good reason. I recall it was winter as we played out in the snow.

Other memories of this time are of the little brown boxes holding our gas masks. I believe I also had a Mickey Mouse gas mask. Rationing seemed to go on for ages and the announcement, when it came, that the local greengrocers had bananas spread around the neighbourhood quickly. We all rushed to the shop to try to get hold of a fruit that was treated like gold dust and had certainly never passed through my lips in my short lifetime. The queues for a banana were unbelievable.

Some of the memories are a little sketchy now, whilst many are indelibly printed on my mind. Truly traumatic times for all and espeically for young children!

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