大象传媒

In March 1941, a German Bomb completely destroyed our home in Bristol. My 40 year old father had just finished a 12 hour shift at British Aerospace, he was killed as well as my 14 year old brother Trevor.

My brother was fire watching in our porch with a neighbour, Fred Stant, who was also killed. Freds wife had died giving birth to their baby, who was in the Anderson shelter with it's grandmother, My 3 year old sister, Maureen, myself aged 8 and my mother

The only things salvaged from our home were some books and photographs. Our garden shed contained some tools and a mangle, but this was stolen.

Food and clothing were rationed, there was no health or social services. We stayed with various friends and my sisiter did not speak for quite a while after it had happened, the doctor said that the shock may have caused her to develop cancer, my mother nursed her for about a year until she died aged 3 years and 11 months.

My mother was getting 拢2.05 a week to pay for everything, food and clothes were rationed and so she had to work until she retired. When my mother asked for some financial help from the British Legion she was told that it was only for service men and women. I have the gratest admiration for the people who gave their lives in the war, but I do not buy poppies. All we had was what we stood up in and a small amount of money that my father had the foresight to put in the shelter. My grandmother used to hate the sirens (suringes) she used to call them! When they sounded she sat under the stairs with a large cushion on her head surmounted by a huge enamel bowl. My aunt in Coventry had a nervous breakdown due to the bombing there and ended up in a mental institution.

My mother had enormous courage as great as any soldier and a faith that helped her to pull through, then at the age of 94 she died of cancer, having never re married.

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to read this.
Keith Jones,
10 Cleeve Park Road,
Downend,
Bristol
BS16 6DN
01179 496002

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