- Contributed by
- Martin Cox
- People in story:
- Martin Cox, Joan Cox, Gladys Dyer, Annie Trowell
- Location of story:
- Wimbledon Park, SW London
- Background to story:
- Civilian
- Article ID:
- A2715950
- Contributed on:
- 07 June 2004
I was too young, at just under 3, to know at the time if it was a V1 or a V11, that hit our road.Returning after the war, to our repaired house, the bombed site was an excellent playground covering the site of about 30 houses.
Expert opinion tells me that it was a V1, as all three of us in the house had time to get into one of those under the table shelters by the time the bomb landed.Just as well, as I understand that all the ceilings came down, the back roof was blown off and the grandfathers clock ended up on the top landing.According to my GGM only one person in the road was killed, but bearing in mind the number of house damaged or destroyed I have some doubts abot this.
I have no recollection of the actual blast or the shelter. My first memory, which is also my first recollection of childhood, is of being in the Rest Centre that night, which to a child, seemed to be an enormous hall filled with thousands of beds.I recall being washed because "a very important man will be visiting us". This man was, I discovered when I was older, J Arthur Rank, as the Rest Centre was the local Methodist Hall.
At the time I was living with my Great Grandmother and my Grandmother, as my Mother was (an early single mum) working at the American Embassy and therefore had a flat in central London. My Mother was on leave in Ilfracombe and my GGM told me that she telegraphed her to find accommodation. We then, against all the rules, evacuated ourselves to Devon.
I have recollections of being taken into the cellars at Waterloo Station during an air-raid and of being taken to see the engines changed at Exeter.
When we returned to the repaired house in 1946 it had been used as the mess room of the builders and the varnish on the bathroom door for many years had the engrained inscription "not in use". I recall that my GGM was very distressed to discover the amount of looting that had taken place, including the loss of almost all of her treasured plants in the garden.
The family we lived with in Ilfracombe stayed in touch for many years after the war but, due to the employment situation, all the children moved to the four corners of the UK.
Date of bombing: cJuly 1944
Locations: Stuart Road, London SW19,
Methodist Central Hall, Durnsford Road, London SW19
St Brannocks Park Road, Ilfracombe.
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