大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Joan Smith for Three Counties Action on behalf of Constance Wilson and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was 20 years old when the war began. I was working in the office of a newspaper with the ambition of becoming a reporter. At the outbreak of war newspapers were almost immediately reduced to single sheets so staff were gradually dismissed - especially the juniors who were in any case being called up. During the Battle of Britain I was living in Kent at West Wickham, near Biggin Hill. On the night of September 30th 1939 I went with my motherr, father, sister and her baby to the underground shelters on the local playing fields. This was at the time of the very beginning of night raids. Our neighbour wanted to join us but her husband didn,t like the lack of privacy in the shelters so they stayed in their house with their daughter. During the night our house had a direct hit from a 500lb bomb. Our neighbours' house was also destroyed and they were all killed.
We lost everything and were left with only the clothes we were wearing. Our beautiful blue Persian cat was killed, and my new fur coat, a present for my 21st birthday, was in shreds up a tree. A lone fighter came in low and machine gunned us as we left the shelter but no-one was hit. There was only a crater where our house had been. It was the first bombing of its kind - and later there were many more. Ironically my father had that month just paid the last instalment on the mortgage.

A house which had been offered by a neighbour to anyone who became homeless was made available to us, and we lived there for two years, until the owners returned, when we were given another house requisitioned by the council. A friend gave me a suit to wear, and we were given extra coupons for clothes. The thing I was saddest yp lose was my books. There was always a lot of bombing and activity becaus of our nearness to Biggin Hill. Later in the war we had flying bombs. I used to go cycling on West Wickham Common with my girlfiends and once we saw three V1 rockets shot from Fance come quite low at tree height with flames shooting out of the back. We didn't know what they were at that time and we watched them drop on the outskirts of London.
My mother and father had a lucky escape when a V1 fell just in front of the house, blowing out front and back doors and windows. At the time they happened to be between two internal walls in the house and were safe. the rocket fell on a lorry carrying firefighters , some of whom were killed.
I was called up and sent to work at the Ministry of Works. We were sent to Southport but I didn't like it there and wanted to be back in London sso I asked to be transferred. I remained working in London for the restt of the war, and didn't return to newspapers because I enjoyed my job so much. On eday when I arrived at Charing Cross a bomber came over and bombed the Admiralty. I took shelter in a shop doorway where we laay on the ground and a soldier who was there put his tin helmet on my head, which was very gallant. The glass fell out of the shop window in a complete sheet. I continued on my way to the office where we were directed to the shelter until the All Clear went. I used to firwatcg at the office, which meant staying overnight.
On one occasion when the office was bombed one very keen secretary who continued at her desk had to be told to leave.

On one occasion we were in Bournemouth on holidaay when we heard that there were lemons in Dorchester. So I cycled with a friend to Dorchester- about twenty miles each way - and we each allowed four lemons. We were going home soon after that and had to leave our luggage at the railway station in advance. I had also acquired a crab which I put in my pink bag with the lemons. When we went to collect the luggage my bag had gone - someone had taken the precious items. However I later discovered that the staff had put my bag outside because the crab smelt so strongly! I never got to enjoy the lemons or the crab.

Rations were meagre but I never felt hungry. I was too old for bananas (kept for children) and too young for tea (for older people). British restaurants, where you could get a meal for a modest charge and no coupons, were very good. Clothes had to be of a regulation designs -CC41. Skirts had three pleats in the front and one behind. A shop in London sold parachute silk which we would make into underwear.

Towards the end of the war I remember seeing what were known as the 1000 bomber raids - when the whole sky was full of planes going to bomb Germany and you could only feel pity.

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