my schoolboy war

My first memory of WW2 was sometime in September 1939 at the age of 4. I was swinging on our garden gate, eating half an orange when my mother, ( Phyllis Hurst nee Halsey) came rushing out of the house saying war had beeen declared, and took me down to the air raid shelter my Dad(Norman) and our next door neighbour, Bill Croft, a builder had built between our two gardens. It was mostly underground, with many old iron bed frames set into concrete. Because of the water table in Hanworth, Middx, it was prone to flooding; we had pumps to expel the water, and duck boards about 6 inches high to walk on.
Christmas 1940 I slept on the top of one of the bunk beds, with Mum sleeping below, I think I must have been taken short as she got soaked!! there were no toys to be had in the shops, but I remember she had knitted me a blue and white sailor suit as my Xmas present. A land mine fell in a rhubarb field behind us and did not explode until the next day.
I was latterly told that I had taken my Dad's wheelbarrow full of veg and was selling it door to door in the neighbourhood.
Following this I was sent to Wales as an evacuee to Cymparc-Treorchy. (many stories to follow !!)

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