大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War web site by a volunteer on behalf of Bruce Hayman and has been added to the site with his permission. He fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

My name is Bruce Hayman, the only son of Joseph and Beatrice Hayman of Exmouth in Devon. I was in London for a number of years though I was born in Exmouth, Devon, in 1911. I went to school in London. My farther was in the Metropolitan Police in London. He was one of the Officers in the Flying Squad. He was one of the officers chosen to form the London Flying Squad. He was in the CID for many years at Scotland Yard. My family were living in Exmouth. Actually my mother went back to Exmouth for me to be born. She went home in other words. I went to School in London. I went to St Johns College Prep School and then finished up at the City of London College. I was an International Athlete and won many prizes for sprinting, 100 and 220 yards races. At the age of 17, just before the war started, I was struck down with an affliction that put me in Guy鈥檚 Hospital for 9 months. I was on all sots of drugs and treatment but came out having lost my right eye. At the outbreak of war I was in London and had just left school and got married. We retired back to Exmouth, where my family were builders, and at 18, I was fortunate to get a job with the Exmouth Urban District Council whom I worked for through out the war. I worked in the Department that was responsible for all their buildings. We had evacuees from London in Council Hostels, in the requisitioned big houses in Douglas Avenue, as they were too rough to be housed with families. They took over some of the best houses. Whilst working for the council I sat for the qualifications and became a Civil Engineer. We always had boats, motor and sailing, as did a lot of my friends. I was on the Exmouth Lifeboat at one time as was my farther and his farther before. We had a few calls but nothing exciting. On war being declared, my friends volunteered for the Navy and spent the war operating in MTB鈥檚. Having only one eye I could not join the Navy or any of the other services and fight for my country, so I volunteered for the ARP in Exmouth. I was put into a Rescue Team of which I became Leader. We were called out after bombing raids to rescue people trapped in the debris, not only in Exmouth. We went to help after the big raids in Exeter, several times to Plymouth, and Bristol, who were frequently bombed. We got quite a few people out of wrecked places. Nothing very exciting. When we got in the raids were usually over. The unexploded bombs were a bit of a worry. You did not know what was around.

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