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This story has been added by CSV volunteer Linda Clark on behalf of Kenneth H. Rickard. It is an extract from a book he wrote in 2004 called 'St Dennis and Goss Moor', published by Halsgrove of Tiverton, Devon. They fully understand the terms and conditions of the site.

When the blitz on Plymouth reached its height in 1940-41, on a clear night the glow from the fires could be seen in the sky from St Dennis Junction. The German air raids on RAF St Eval and later RAF St Mawgan could be heard and by night the explosive flashes could be seen. Local people would gather at night on the road bridge while some men would climb up onto the GWR water tank, the highest point around and report to the people below on any flashes from exploding bombs and anti-aircraft fire.

During daytime air raids German Heinkel and Donier aircraft were seen flying to and returning from our airfield targets - they often flew directly over St Dennis Junction at ground level, low enough for the pilots to be clearly seen. This made everyone very nervous and scared wondering whether they were going to be bombed.

In 1941 the Goss Moor area was bombed by the German Luftwaffe on two occassions. The moor was directly below the bombers' flight path as they flew to their targets of our St Eval, St Mawgan and St Merryn from their bases in France.

The Germans were not always successful in their attempts to attack our airfields; sometimes they were beaten off by our fighter planes and ground defences. When this occurred they would release their bombs indiscriminately in order to lighten their load during their dash for home. It was on two such occassions that Goss Moor was bombed. The first proved harmless when at least four bombs were dropped between the Tin Mine pool and the Gasson pool. The explosions did little damage except for frightening wildlife, destroying gorse and leaving craters that could be recognised many years later. However, the second occassion was very different. K.H.Rickard recalls:

It was on a dark winters' evening when I had been to a fish-and-chip shop at Indian Queens to purchase our supper to take home to St Dennis Junction. As I approached the old primary school on my bicycle a German bomber dropped a 'stick' of bombs which fell each side of the A30 near Georgie Williams' shop, which was positioned halfway between the school and the Richards and Osborne garage. A cottage near the shop was damaged and its occupants, who had taken cover under the kitchen table, suffered cuts and bruises and one broken limb. Some kind of warning had been received-probably the sound of the German aircraft's engine which was distinct from allied aircraft.
Unfortunately more serious damage was inflicted across the road - a piggery belonging to Viv Smale, received a direct hit. The building that housed a large number of pigs and tractor fuel collapsed and caught fire, which resulted in pigs being killed or injured. Many had to be put down the next day; very few survived. Because of the tractor fuel the building burned for two days.
My memories are of the smell, the noise from the injured pigs and the fire as I pushed my bicycle through the debris on the road, hugging the hedge for false security. No emergency services or help had arrived and my only thoughts were to get home as fast as I could. For a nine year-old boy this experience was traumatic to say the least and as if this wasn't enough, when I finally arrived home at St Dennis Junction, I received a row, before I explained my experience, because the fish and chips were cold!
The recovery of animals and materials continued into the next day. A neighbour of ours, Jack Hannaford also experienced the bombing. He was walking home from Indian Queens where he had been to collect his charged-up wireless accumulator and had just passed the Angilley's Cottage when the bombs exploded. This resulted in Jack being severely shaken and shocked.

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