大象传媒

During the blitz of London in 1940, an incendiary bomb, dropped from a German airplane, struck our house near Hornchurch in Essex. this came through the roof and wedged between the roof supports in the loft.

My father wrapped the bomb in a wet sack and brought it down a wooden ladder from the loft. we always kept the bath full of water for emergencies.

In attempting to deposit the bomb in the bath of water my father slipped on a mat and fell into the bath with it held in his arms. For many years afterwards we laughed about this but it must have been very dangerous at the time!

Soon after this time I was evacuated to Rodmarton in Gloucestershire with my mother Kate and my brothers. we moved from Rodmarton shortly to Long Newton, near Tetbury. We lived in a water mill on the Little Avan, it was a lovely place for a child from London!

The mill has now been restored to Chavenage House near Tetbury in Gloucester, where my mother was an assistant cook in the kitchens and also helped out as an auxiliary nurse at a nearby convalescent home, Escourt House,for wounded soldiers home from the war.

Next we returned to London as the air raids had almost ceased and arrived at home just in time for the start of the 'flying bomb' raids (nicknamed the Doodle Bugs) over South East England!

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