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We had a little shop in Devizes Road and there was big excitement when the deliveries came in if you got something that was difficult to get hold of. Well, our delivery arrived and as well as 200cwt of potatoes, a box of onions there was a box of oranges. Word got round that Wares had some oranges. Within a quarter of an hour we had a queue of 98 people, we counted them. They had to sign the book and they could only have 3 each.

My mother had come to the shop to help me and we had got rid of the queue and were sat there happily when the siren went off. I put my mother into a little part that my husband had strengthened for me to get into and I went to the shop door to shut it. while I was doing that a Messerschmitt flew along Devizes Road, and you know how narrow it is along there, and he pointed the machine gun right at me and waved!

With that he went up and machine-gunned the wholesalers that was there — that was hit. That was just by where my husband had our garden and he was out there working in it. Then the plane shot the gasometer and that was hit too. We had a hose at the time and my husband took the hose down there. It was terrible, the flames were pouring out. He rang up somebody who was the manager of the Gas at that time and his son went up the ladder and poured something in which did put it out. I can see my husbands face now when he got back to the shop. I can always remember that day.

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