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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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Nearly hit three times, but still lucky

by BBC LONDON CSV ACTION DESK

Contributed by 
BBC LONDON CSV ACTION DESK
People in story: 
John Brockle-Bank
Location of story: 
Epping Forest
Background to story: 
Civilian
Article ID: 
A4303667
Contributed on: 
29 June 2005

“This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer from BBC London Online on behalf of John Brockle-Bank, and has been submitted to the site with his permission. John Brockle-Bank understands the site’s terms and conditions.”

We were nearly bombed out three times; Once we were in the passage, and the windows blew out, the door blew open as we were playing; second time was on a Sunday, the same thing happened, only we were in the Morrison shelter; and the third time we were near Epping Forest, and we’d been at the boating lake, looked up, and saw a doodlebug coming towards us and started to run. My brother, myself, our yacht, and our big dog. The bomb landed in the pond where we were, and I remember the mud coming down, people falling over, and that was it. So we went shakily home and hid in our coal cellar.

I remember VD day, we all went to the waste ground where they had put all the fences around where the bombed houses had been, and in the roads they made big bonfires, and mannequins of Hitler, and stuck them on top of the bonfires, and that was it, it was a glorious bonfire night, plus a big party in the street, dancing, singing, servicemen, everybody.

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