Towthorpe Bombs

In January 1940 at 9pm in the village of towthorpe which consisted of 9 houses and between 30-40 inhabitants. three bombs were dropped. One dropped in our field about 150 yards from our house. One dropped 200yards away. the third didnt explode and may still be in the ground. The first two blew all the windows out and tiles off the roof. The vacuum of the blast drew articles of clothing into the street including a pair of trousers that were hung on the bed post, and a cap went flying into the yard. Our brown and white dog was sitting infront of the fireplace and the blast drew the soot down and gave us a black dog. Afterwards my father went up stairs in his wellies to go to bed as the place was covered in broken glass and roof tiles. when he lay down in his bed he could see the stars through a hole in the roof.

The outside earth toilet had a big hole in the wall because of the bombs, so we didnt waste any time there as it was middle of January.

A while after this we had an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, so about 200 German prisoners of war to scrub out everywhere with soda crystals and disinfectant. As I was only 9 years old I was terrified with all these Germans and only a handfull of guards from the Bittish army. even at 9 years old I could tell which the German planes as they sounded like motorboat engines. We could here the bombs whistle down and could only wait hoping it would pass and land in the field.

One day 2 German parachutes were found in a nearby field so the army was call in to cordon of the area. That night I went out with my father to see to the cows. and came accross Brittish soldiers in a trench. They called us to stop and identify ourselves but I turned and ran. The soldier asked my father who i was and sain he is suposed to shoot. My father said you better not he's only nine.

I can remember we used to have to go into a tear gas room to see if our gasmasks were still ok. If there were tears, we needed new ones.

Also when the evacuees came they were billeted in house in the village.

If there was an air raid whilst we were at school, we had to run to the houses that we were allocated. This was arranged according to age. The younges were given the nearest house and the oldest the farthest away.

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