Gordon's War

At the outbreak of war I was 9 years old, we had just experienced the drama of the ill-fated Thetis submarine which sank during trials and cost many lives, so the outbreak of war was another excitement in our lives.
As the war started we had visions of our troops fighting the Germans in the trenches as in World War One. Then came the 'Phoney war' and then Dunkirk and the excitement had worn off a little then.

Schools cinemas, theatres were all closed. Then rationing came in and sweets, bananas, chocolate etc. all disappeared.

We all had maps and plotted the advances and reversals of our armies in the desert campaigns.

The Blitzes then started, SHeffeild was a target becuase of the steel industry, althought the bombing wasn't confined to the East End of the city, and bombs were dropped everywhere. We'd wait for the warning sirens to go and then gathered up our blankets and went into the Anderson shelter in the garden until the raid was over. Being of a youngish age we weren't particularly scared as the bombs were falling we were more bewilldered by it all. On one memorable occaision a bomb landed 20feet from our shelter and blew inthe front of the neighbours house and knocked all our windows out. We were left without gas, water or electricity as all the mains were smashed.

Me and my mate Bill, used to wander the streets int he days after a raid collecting shrapnel, which we'd take to school and exchange with each other like kids today exchange football cards.
One morning after a heavy raid, we walked down from the top of Wellfield Road which had had a real hammering the night before, nobody ahd thought to cordon off the top of the road. We came accross the top of a land-mine had landed on nearby house. We decided this would make a good trophy so PICKED IT UP and carried it down the hill intending to take it home, we found the road cordoned off and 'DANGER' signs everywhere. We were then spotted and got a right roasting off the ARP and Home Guard, they then confiscated our prize catch and sent us home!.

Another time a local chip shop was severely damaged and allt he door sand windows were blown in. They were 'Frying tonight' at the time the bombs landed and just left everything as it was. The smell from the fat and half cooked fish was dreadfull and hung in the air for some time.

One of the most memorable and vivid of the war was; in 1944 we saw a U.S. Flying Fortress bomber flying very very low over the tops of the houses were we lived in Upperthorpe, it had obviously been shot-up from flak or German night-fighters and in great difficulty. THe plane was so low we could see the face sof the crew inside. We later learned it had crashed ina Endcliffe Park attempting to make a landing, but there wasn't enough room for it to land properly. Some of the crew were alive, but injured when it landed, but couldn't get out due to the intense fire..
A memorial now stands in the park now as a tribute to the plane 'Mi Amigo' and the crew.

Finally the war ended and we had a huge bonfire and party, bringing an end to a chapter of my life that I couldn't have done without, and was an education in itself.

Gordon Charles Murfin.
Born 15.6.31.

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