大象传媒

I was 14 years old when war broke out and went to work in Barwell in the Boot and Shoe factory. When I was 16 years old I went to work at nailstone pit under the Bevin Boys Scheme and I worked there for 43 years and I fell in love with a Barlestone girl in 1940. We were married in 1946. I sadly lost my wife Peggy 4 years ago.
In 1940 I was going down home one night and bombers came over Barlestone that night and were dropping bombs and I shot in someone's house, in the village and dived under the bad as they had the bed downstairs. I told mother next day. She said you go and tell them, so I did and they said I don't blame you lad, which I thought was good of them. I was in the homeguard in the village and at night sat up at the vicarage on the phone.
When they dropped the bombs that night I kept thinking they were for me and I was frightened to death. My girlfriend Peggy worked at the Liberty Shoes in Leicester and I think her photo is in Leicester Mercury this week at the Town Hall Square.
When the war was over we brought the piano out on the round house and danced and sang all day. It was great. It was great to be British.

'This story was submitted to the People's War site by Sara-Jane Higginbottom of the CSV Action Desk Leicester on behalf of D. Wright and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

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