One Very Big Bang

“This story was submitted to the People’s War website by Terry Cleaver of BBC Kent and has been added to the website on behalf of Mr Kenneth Metcalfe with his permission and they fully understand the site’s terms and conditions.”

In 1939 I was ten years old and living in Sidcup. By 1943 I had a place at S.E.L Technology College and had to travel each day on two buses or a bus and a train with school bag, steel helmet and gas mask each way. Never once by car.

Thanks to the Internet a group of about twenty old school pals now meet up occasionally, after sixty years. We were students at the South East London Technical College from 1943 – 1946.

We all have different memories of those far off days. ‘War time dinners’, ‘time spent in the air raid shelter’, ‘the two masters who went out for lunch time for a brisk walk’. Actually it was for a brisk half, but don’t tell the headmaster! While they were in the pub an unexploded bomb fell in the road that they had just walked down and it was closed by the police. They then got their long brisk walk via another route, back to school.
I recently learnt that three of my colleagues had been swimming in Laurie Green Baths, New Cross. When they came out all three went into Woolworth’s across the road. They were only about 300 yards away when a V2 rocket bomb blew Woolworth’s to little pieces, but they were unhurt.
We now know that another was on a 36 bus, even nearer. All the bus windows were blown out but he and his father were also unhurt.
My aunt was in Woolworth’s at that time and not so lucky. Her engagement ring, on a finger, was the only part of her body, ever found.
Also this year we are all seventy-six years old. Our “club” meetings bring back many happy memories of our school days and interesting occupations and travel stories for the in-between years.

Kenneth Metcalfe

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.