大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War Site by Suzanne Longstone and has been added to the website on behalf of Mr Ken Ham with his permission and he fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Ken was 13 years old when war broke out in 1939. He was still at school and went to Newport Secondary School. He was also in the Sea Scouts and became a cycle messenger for the Civil Defence at the Cowes Headquarters at Northwood House. He later got transferred to the Police Messenger Service which meant he had the kudos of wearing a hat with 鈥橮olice鈥� on it.

Ken remembers one incident vividly. His Grandfather lived in the house with them and one day Ken, his father and grandfather were standing at an upstairs window looking over to Southampton, watching German planes attacking the oil refinery and barrage balloons. They watched one plane get damaged and head over the Solent towards them, getting lower and lower. It seemed that it was going to crash close to Cowes but it looked to Ken as if it were headed straight towards their house. His father told him to move away from the window, but his grandfather pulled his shirt and said, 鈥淕et back here! Nothing that b****r Hitler will do is going to frighten us!鈥�
So all three of them stood right at the front of the window, defying Hitler! The plane did crash somewhere on the island, but their house was unaffected. His grandfather died later during the war.

Ken remembers a street party held on VE Day, but on VJ Day some sailors were out near his street. They had got hold of some signal rockets and were determined to celebrate and have a good time. They got some wood from a bombed house opposite Ken鈥檚 house, built and lit a bonfire and set off the rockets with tremendous bangs! Next morning there was a big hole in the tarmac road where the fire had been!

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