大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Richard Gorton, 大象传媒 Guide at the Open Centre Hull, on behalf of Gladys Beadle and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

LIFE ON THE HOME FRONT - A DAYLIGHT RAID

It was shortly after the war started, in the summer of 1940 when one night after School my sister and I went to watch Father making hay in the field. He was sitting on a hay rake, being drawn by a white horse. Suddenly without any warning, a German plane dived down out of the sky and started machine-gunning us. Father shouted to us to run to the edge of the field and lay down in the ditch. We were terrified, but we ran as fast as our legs would carry us and lay in the bottom of the ditch. Father had taken his horse near to a big hedge for shelter, and he lay down on the ground. The German plane flew menacingly round and round and started machine-gunning again. We clung together at the bottom of the ditch until the aircraft eventually flew away.

We ran back to Father and he harnessed the horse to the hay rake. We were very shaky, but we made our way home. It was a very frightening experience, and I remember it very clearly even though I am now 77 years of age.

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