大象传媒

鈥淭his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Bob Davis from the Burgess Hill Adult Education Centre and has been added to the website on behalf of Alan Brown with his permission and he fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions鈥�

I was nearly four when war broke out. My mother, grandmother and I lived in a 2-bedroomed bungalow in Bexleyheath. My father, a 30 year old naval chief artificer, was in Singapore hoping to get back to England. One night, I was sent to bed and every room window had blackout; strips of brown tape on the glass and blankets hung on the curtain rails. While lying in bed something happened and I could see the stars. I shouted 鈥淚 can see the stars鈥�. I was told to go to sleep repeatedly. Eventually my grandmother came and saw stars too. A landmine, we called them bombs this early on, had landed across the road and the explosion had lifted our roof and the tiles had fallen off. I could see the stars!

Some three miles from my home was a large lake 鈥� Danson Park Lake. It was drained. The first we knew about it was when illegally we listened on the wireless to Lord Haw-Haw who laughingly told us the bombers would still reach London, or were we prepared to drain the Thames!

Later in 1940 I was evacuated, Mickey Mouse gas mask and all, with my mother to Cromarty 鈥� heard of only in weather forecasts 鈥� in the north of Scotland near Inverness. My father had got away from Singapore, having mined the harbour and was posted to Nogg across the firth from Cromarty.

South London homes were never locked in the bombing. If the raiders came you simply rushed into the nearest house. Even at four I can remember running with my mum.

Later when the doodlebugs came my two cousins came to Cromarty for safety. John McCarthy was an instant hit. He had found in Bexletheath a piece of Perspex aircraft windscreen which he made into a ring; he was a hero.

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