大象传媒

Never Mind the Bombs, Keep in the Dry!

I was six when the war started. The announcement came on the radio on a Sunday afternoon. There were several semi-detached homes in the street in Kenton, near Harrow where we were living. There was a lot of excitement amongst the adults. It spilled out on to the street. Soon afterwards we heard the air raid siren. A light aircraft flew over. No one paid it too much attention. As it turned out , it was a mistake, but the sound was memorable.

At school we had gas masks issued and a cardboard box with a string to hang round your neck. We practised putting them on, but they were never used for real. We learned to read in the air raid shelter at the school. I have a distinct recollection of the early readers being practised in the shelter. There was quite a bit of bombing because we were on the outskirts of the capital. Walking the half mile or so to school we would pass as many as three bombed houses. We searched for pieces of shrapnel from the bombs. In school we played simplistic 鈥榞oodies鈥� and 鈥榖addies鈥� war games. The nearest bomb landed less than 200 yards from our house. It blew out most of our windows. Definitely too close for comfort!

Dad built an Anderson Shelter in the garden. There were five souls to save in the family. I had a brother eight years older and a sister three years older than myself. He made it really well with benches for us to sit on and a table, too. The trouble was it leaked! There was a perpetual pool of water in it. It smelled very damp, too. That was probably why it hardly ever got used. Dad directed us to a three-quarters billiard table with slate topping in the front room. During air raids we tended to shelter under that. Well, at least we were in the dry! Dad didn鈥檛 normally get out of bed when the air raid siren went, so it was lucky no bombs struck us at night. One night I remember the bombing of London was really bad. Dad took us upstairs and showed us the glow in the sky. Fortunately little children can鈥檛 really imagine what all those pretty colours and fireworks mean to those below them. I do remember the Doodlebugs. Their engines cut out when they were about to fall; a very distinctive sound.

We moved to Coalville near Leicester in 1943. I had to go to a Convent School for two terms before starting Secondary School. There was a lot less bombing up there. I remember mum used to send me to the local Co-op for goods. We had to use the ration books very carefully. The grocery gave dividends for customers. My mother鈥檚 instruction to me was to say, 鈥淪end it to Russia.鈥�

In Coalville there were Italian prisoners working on building work. My older sister found one young Italian very attractive. He was the one who introduced us to the wonderful singing of Benjamino Gigli. I have always loved music and radio. I remember ITMA with Tommy Hanley and the fabulous cast of characters; Workers鈥� Playtime; Music While You work and I even remember on a few Sunday evenings an entire programme of National anthems (The German National Anthem being the conspicuous omission!). What I don鈥檛 remember was ever hearing Vera Lynn! Clearly not quite into having a 鈥楩orce鈥檚 Sweetheart鈥� before I was ten!

My older brother went into the navy and was stationed in the Pacific. I well remember how anxious mother was awaiting his censored letters and how relieved she was to read them. For me, a naval serviceman in the family was all part of the adventure of it all. Remarkably their ship was not involved in much fighting at all. To my parents鈥� huge relief, he emerged from the conflict unscathed.

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