大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Deena Campbell from WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Brian Peter Stead and has been added to the site with his permission Mr Stead fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

At the height of the Blitz when age nine, my brother and I were among a number of children who left Birmingham. We and our parents had no knowledge to where we were destined.

In the late 1940 we left by a special train from Brighton Road station on the Camp Hill Line and travelled via Whitacre, Nuneaton to Ashby De La Zouch.

At the reception centre, a couple from a village called Osgathorpe, Leicestershire selected us from the group. We lived in a house in its own grounds near the cross rounds. Whilst there the aerodrome at Castle Donnington was built with squad鈥檚 of Wellington Bombers stationed at what is today what is known as the East Midlands Airport. We did not experience any local bombing, but certainly much activity from whining aircraft overhead and distant gun fire from 鈥淏IG BERTHA鈥� at Derby. Distant fire glows in the sky could be seen where bombing was taking place.

We returned home after April 1943 when bombing had almost ceased. The couple we stayed with were very pleasant. I kept in contact with them till the lady passed on in May 1974 and her husband July 1993.

Occasionally during a lull in the bombing we went home for a break and my parents would relate the damaged caused by the bombing. No relatives were killed or injured and only superficial breaking of the window panes to the house in Edgbaston by blast.

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