I was born at my parent's house in Richmond Grove, Bexhill-on-Sea on January 14th,1941. The house is only 300 hundred yards from the sea.
The earliest memory that I can date, was in June 1944, a Friday, when a V1,or "Doodlebug", flew overhead. It was the unusual noise that made a deep impression. A few days later, we were awoken in the night by a loud explosion,the window glass blowing in and the ceiling plaster falling down.A V1 had been shot down by a fighter and crashed and exploded by the Park gates. I can remember exploring the damaged houses opposite the crash site with my brother & sister. Later on in the war, I remember Ukrainians in German uniforms taking down the anti-invasion defences. They were very kind to us as children, carving wooden toys for us. Later they were returned to the USSR and shot as traitors.