When the People’s Pantry was Bombed

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer from BBC Radio Berkshire on behalf of Ann Chivers and has been added to the site with his/her permission. Ann Chivers fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

When the people’s pantry in Duke Street was bombed I was about three or four. I was always told you have to go into the air raid shelter when the siren went off. On this particular day the siren went off we had to go to the air raid shelter. I played up and wouldn’t go in because my mum wasn’t there. My grandmother told me off and I was forced down to the shelter. When we were in the shelter we always used to have to go under the table that was down there. It was made of corrugated iron and covered with soil and mud. We even had flowers on top.

We seemed to be down there for ages till the all clear siren went off. Being that young I had to do what I was told. You were seen and not heard. When I was older I found out the people’s pantry was bombed that day.

I never liked the siren when it went off, it was a horrible noise, it used to give me the creeps.

We lived at 234 Elgar Road in Reading and my mum worked in the co-op doing sewing for the war.

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