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At the time 1939-1945 living a mile from Tilbury docks as boys we did not respect the danger at the time. It was great going down to the beach and looking for bits of shell etc from the night before and at night see the German planes follow the river up to London to unload their bombs. The searchlights used to pick up the German planes then all hell let loose. Anti aircraft guns posted all around Tilbury Docks and a light 25lb gun fired from the top of the State Cinema Grays. The barrage of gunfire would go up all around Grays, Tilbury, Purfleet, Shell Haven Oil Works and it would last 2 hours at the start of 1940 — 1942 every night. Then late 1943 — 1944 the buzz bomb came again followed the Thames on their way to the east.
The end of the sound of the flying bomb was frightening. When the engine stopped it was on its way down — BANG.
We lost 3 schools through bomb damage, so we had to be taught in houses two days a week, six of us to a house.

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