My War Story

Submitted by Gillian Vaughan. (Born 1943)

At the beginning of the war my Mother, Father and my two brothers, David and Raymon were living in Milner Road, Caterham Surrey.
We moved from there to Whyteleafe near Kenley Aerodrome but told to leave there because of the obvious danger and we moved to a semi-detached house in Bromley (Sundridge Park) Kent.The other half was bombed and the two women occupants were killed and we subsequently obtained a residence at 12 Clarence Road Bickley Kent.

My father joined the AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service which later became the National FS) and served with those organisations for a total of four years. He spent much of that time on duty in London including the period of "The Blitz". At the same time for a period of almost two years, my mother and two brothers used to spend their nights in the safety of the Chislehurst Caves (along with hundreds of other families )

Because of the danger from the nightly air raids, at about 6 pm every evening my mother and two brothers used to walk the two and a half miles to the caves to spend the night there and in June 1943 I was almost born down there when my mother went into labour. Fortunately however the authorities managed to get her to Farnborough Hospital before I came into the world. She was quite ill after giving birth and the hospital kept her (and me) there for a month. During that time my grandmother used to take my brothers to the caves. At the end of the month in Hospital my mother continued the routine of taking us all to the caves to sleep for safety.

In 1944 when the "doodlebug" flying bombs started and were coming over during the day, we stayed in the safety of the caves all the time. My father used to cook a meal for us when he was off duty and cycle down to the caves with it for his family. On a few occasions it was a Sunday roast. The Caves became home to many families during that time and my brother told me that it was not unusual to see people cooking and heating meals on bricks with candles underneath them.
There were amenities down there such as a cafeteria, church, doctor’s surgery, theatre etc..
My youngest brother Raymon recalls going to the caves entrance with my other brother to watch the doodlebugs and the spitfires in action and consequently were told to get back down into the caves out of danger.

We all continued our trips there for a few months before finally being evacuated to Goole in Yorkshire until it was safe to return. This time is was back to accommodation at 22 Westway, Caterham that was over a baker’s shop named Addisons Bakery previously called "Birchells"

My father Albert Walter Vaughan died in May 1974 and attached is a picture of him in his AFS Uniform.

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