Wednesday 11 July 2012

Wartime memories


Sleeping in the boot room cellars as an air raid measure; occasional use of the shelter on the playing fields.

We nearly all studied aircraft recognition and passed various grading tests up to Master Observer.

Davy Escape practice became more frequent as war began but dropped off when dormitories moved downstairs.

A stream of Whitley bombers progressing overhead to the first raid on Italy.
Bombed twice at night: first time, a group of us were in the top south east corner attic room, floor jumped twice, dust everywhere, we belted madly downstairs to the boot room.  The brothers went out with torches, initial thoughts the tennis court, next morning two craters in the field to the south east.

Second time, I was in the dormitory on the south west ground floor corner: windows blown far away. Stray bombers discarding load or maybe an attempt on Leeson. We were frightened.

Individual butter dishes (and jam jars) for rationing.

The cold winter of 1940 when the walls outside the bathroom were coated with icicles and there was no morning dip for a while.

The death of Christopher Kent from suspected meningitis.

Tom Haddrell forever extracting stone from what became the lower cricket ground. Earth heaped along the south side of the top field. We built a Maginot line out of it with trenches and dugouts and fought the Germans.

Away cricket match at Hillcrest dismissing them for 4 (including 2 extras).

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