One Sunday Morning in Haywards Heath

In 1939 my father's firm, Carrier Engineering Co. Ltd., was evacuated from Buckingham Gate, close to the Palace, to Bolney Court, Bolney, in Sussex. So my parents, my elder sister and I moved from Beckenham in Kent, into a small flat in Haywards Heath, very close to the station and only a few miles from Bolney.

Our flat was on the top floor of a 3-floor building, but the small block of flats was built well raised up from the pavement, so from our sitting-room window we had a good view of the Haywards Heath to London railway-line.

One Sunday morning we heard the very loud noise of aircraft, and we rushed to look out of the window. We saw 3 or 4 planes, very low and flying quite slowly, following the railway-line northwards. To me, an 8 year-old, it wasn't very special because there were always plenty of planes flying around. My sister, June, 5 years older, shouted, "They're Germans!" My father said calmly, "Don't be so silly, they can't be." Then not quite so calmly he added, "You're right! They are!"
Diana Denman (nee Ashley)

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