War Recollections

At the outbreak of the Second World War I was twelve years old and attended a Secondary Modern School in South Harrow, the equivalent of todays High School. As a school project I wrote a day to day War diary, and continued it until the war ended. Air raid shelters were being built at the school, but were not complete, so half the school attended on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the remainder on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

In September 1939, many children in Inner London were evacuated to the countryside, but we remained at home. The Battle of Britain and the bombings of London did not start until 1940, by which time the shelters were completed. There were also shelters made of brick in the roads, Anderson shelters dug in peoples back gardens, and Morrison shelters indoors, which, in our spare time we constructed for old people. We also collected salvage for the war effort.

South Harrow was close to the Battle of Britain airfield at Northolt and squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes roared overhead each day on their way to meet the enemy aircraft over the South of England. Air raid sirens were situated on street corners and we were told that if we were more than half way to school when the warning sounded we were to continue our journey, but to return home if less than half way. When we saw the planes take off from Northolt, we knew the sound of the sirens would soon follow, so would linger near the half way point ready to return home and miss school!!

Inner London was badly hit by the bombing (The Blitz) but only a small number of bombs fell in the South Harrow and nearby areas. When we heard of such an incident, a few of us would cycle to the area to have a look at the damage and to watch the rescue of people trapped in debris, but this was discouraged. Also frowned upon was our determination to go carol singing in December 1940 with German bombers droning overhead, but we were singing for worthwhile charities.

On December 29th, 1940, we could see a huge red glow over London where German aircraft had dropped thousands of incendiary bombs on the city. My Wifes' parents home was destroyed by fire, but her Mother, together with my Wife, then a four year old, had been evacuated to Surrey.

At the age of thirteen many school children joined local units of the Army cadets, Naval Cadets or Air Training Corps. I chose the latter and had the experience of flying over South Harrow navigating a light aircraft.

The Blitz ended in 1941, but we were later to endure the terror of the flying bombs in 1944 and the rocket missiles in 1945. I recall cycling with a friend to the countryside of Surrey to watch the flying bombs droning overhead. Unbelievably, we were picnicking in a field watching these 'Doodle Bugs' falling onto the suburbs of South London - Our teenage adventure was someone elses' horror.

At 17 I wanted to join the Royal Air Force, but at 18, shortly before the war ended, I was conscripted to the Army.

The war diary referred to earlier is mainly factual rather than personal, but does contain a unique record of the period of every air raid on London during The Blitz, with the time of the warning, duration of the attack, and the time of the all clear. This might be the only record in existence.

Story By Ken Gee

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