大象传媒

On the night of 19/20 May 1942 at about 12:30 AM, My Father (Thomas), Mother (Hilda) and younger Brother (Geoffrey aged 3)and myself (aged 8) were in our brick Air Raid Shelter at 47 Wharneford Gardens in the City of Kingston-upon-Hull when the 'All Clear' sirens sounded but as there was the sound of Aircraft engines somewhere near, my Father said " I will wait until he goes and go and make us a drink", he was standing near the Shelter entrance at this time..........the next thing I recall was a sound like a strong gust of wind, not an explosion, and I could see the Stars in the Sky above me, this should not have been as I was still in my Bunk in the Shelter trapped by the legs by the concrete roof which had come down on to my bunk and held up by the plank of wood which my father had nailed on the edge to stop me 'rolling out, and it was very quiet !!!!!!
We had been 'Bombed out' by a lone raider possibly on his way back from another raid, and jettisoning his bombs in his hurry to get away.
As a result of this My Mother was killed in the Shelter and my Father sustained very serious injuries from which he later died, my Brother was also trapped in his bunk below mine, and I were both miraculously uninjured , we were rescued by the Emergency Services and cared for by some local residents until we were taken to stay with an Aunt in Willerby, were later to go and live with our Paternal Grandmother back in Hull
This episode completly changed our lives and that of serveral other families whose houses were also destoyed that fateful nightand I often think back and wonder what our lives would have been like but for this episode ??

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