My Wifes Story ( The First Doodle Bug in Caterham )

It was the morning of 16th June 1944 at about 7-45am my sister Pauline and I were having our hair done by my mother ready for school we were standing close to the window in the sitting room which had view of the back garden I have in my memory the vision of a low plane passing over the fences. The Doodlebug crashed very close to our house on a Photographic Factory. We were all injured from blast and flying glass and were taken to Caterham emergency Hospital in St Lawrences Hospital ,my Mother was suffering with blast injuries and my sister Pauline and I had cuts to the Face ,it was thought my sister would lose an eye ,but luckily this did not happen we both had several stiches to the cuts the scars of which we still carry today. We were hospitalised for about 10-14 days.
There was unfortunately a fatality that morning a Richard Percival age 39 years who lived nearby was on his way to work when the doodlebug fell.
On the day of our discharge from hospital a worried Father took my Sister and myself to friends to stay in Caterham. However whilst waiting for our Mother to be discharged from hospital, a further bomb dropped close by, after this event our father took us to stay with an Aunt in Fittleworth West Sussex. At last we felt safe. Our row of Terraced Cottages were at first condemed ,as war damaged and the adjoining row of houses later demolished.but our terrace survived and they are now well over 100 years old.
The accounts of this incident can found in the following publications,
" The Way They Were,the Bourne Society Book of Days" and also, " Bourne Doodlebugs" by Peter and Iris Flint.
The Bourne Society is a History Group based in the Caterham Area.

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