Volunteers dusting furniture in storage from bombed-out homes.

We approached our home from the back. I remember walking up the path to the back door, but there was no sign of mum or my younger sister. We entered the house and found they were both safe, upstairs getting some night clothes and things together. It couldn't have been much because we didn't have much. Before we arrived home the ARP warden (Air Raid Precaution) had already been around knocking at doors and telling everyone to prepare for evacuation - the whole area was littered with U.X.B.'s - unexploded bombs.

Looking back I would like to think that mum fell on her knees as we walked in, clasped us in her arms and thanked God that we were safe. Alas I have no such memory and no doubt mum having such a large brood was aware we were in one piece and quickly got on with the packing ready for us to leave. My sister has confirmed that they  were under the stairs (not in the garden in the Anderson shelter) during the raid. When all was quiet they crept out from under the stairs and my sister has vivid memories of looking up at the ceiling and seeing flowers dangling from the bowl type lamp shade.. Apparently mum had a vase of flowers in the window and when all the windows were blown in from the nearby blast, the flowers were blown across the room and up into the lamp shade.

Within a few minutes the ARP warden was again shouting through the front doorway (the front door had been blown in with the blast) ,"Are you ready? We must go at once." We ran out to a waiting car and were taken to Shield Road School, where we had cups of tea and something to eat.

 While we were having some refreshment, many more families were arriving from houses too damaged for them to stay in as there were unexploded bombs in the vicinity. Everyone arriving was 'booked in' by a couple of ladies sitting at a table where names and addresses of all family members were given. The school hall had been laid out with mattresses - one mattress per family. Although we are a large family, then there were only five of us. I can't remember and I don't suppose for one moment that the five of us slept side by side on one mattress. Dad for certain would be missing because he was working nights at Rolls Royce.

I have one crystal clear memory of waking up the first morning and glancing around and seeing the family lying next to us. A girl of about fifteen (so old to me as a twelve year old) woke up, sat up and reached for her handbag. She found her lipstick and proceeded to apply a generous coating to both lips. As young as I was, I thought - shouldn't she be going to wash first? (Showers were unheard of in those days and you had a bath once a week). I can't remember how long we stayed at the school - only a matter of days and then we were moved out to a house in Mackie Avenue.

While we were staying at the school and during our early days in Mackie Avenue we wandered around Filton and watched the bomb disposal squads digging out the unexploded bombs. The fact that we stood at the edge of the hole that they were digging meant, of course, that the bomb had been exposed enough for the expert in the team to remove the fuse. There were two or three occasions where we could see the end of the bomb with the soldiers still digging around it. These bombs were big, probably 500lbs.

After some weeks at Mackie Avenue we moved to Charborough Road, another requisitioned house . 

We were now living in Charborough Road, Filton  (Our bombed house in Clive Lane was about 200 yards from the nearest aircraft factory building, this house in Charborough Road was about 400 yards from the nearest aircraft factory building - a much safer location! ) and we were all going to Charborough Road school (affectionately known as Charborough Road Academy). In those days this was called an elementary school, now known as a "comprehensive" .

When we came home from school with a note to say the school was offering to evacuate all pupils (I don't think it was compulsory) no doubt mum and dad thought that it was a good idea having been bombed out once. And looking back it was also an opportunity to get rid of the three remaining kids. Just think one moment, they had six children and a few months later there were none - they had the house all to themselves - the silence must have been unbearable.

The decision was made - we would be evacuated. I was nearly 13, Ralph 8, and my sister was  6. The big day came and we all assembled in the school playground with a small (very small) suitcase each. Suitcase is the wrong description, more like an attaché case. In addition we each had a big brown baggage label tied to our lapel button hole with our name and address inscribed. We posed for a group photograph and then climbed aboard the charabancs (coaches). I can't remember my parents being there to see us off - I suppose they thought it would be better if parents weren't there to cause last minute tears and delays.

Click the Charabanc to go to the next page.

Children leaving...soldiers arriving.