Bombs can drive you potty!

At the age of 7 - going on 8 - an incident towards the end of WW2 seemed quite funny...........
A significant effect of the flying bomb which exploded at the top of our close in Edgware North London was that many houses in the close received cracked toilets. For a few days buckets were in great demand!
I suppose because our house was quite central, 44 new lavatory pans were deposited in our front garden without so much as a "by your leave". In those days that's what happened. There was a war on!
The workmen arrived and installations began. We knew because people were walking about with smiles on their faces and the supply of new garden"ornaments" was diminishing daily. Over a period of about a week, Mum's astute questioning established that Mrs Cox at No.22 had definately been "done", as had Mrs Butcher at No.8. This led her to assume that they were working from both ends towards the middle and that our turn would surely come.
Fortunately our living room was in the front, overlooking the 'products of Staffordshire' arranged so neatly on our lawn. But one morning they weren't - arranged on the lawn I mean. Those not required were on the back of a lorry, about to move off. Now in those days, Mum was a nifty mover, and didn't she move! With an "Oh no you don't" she was out of the front door and away down the path. "Oi, what about us?"
Quick work Mother! We were saved! But what a cheek. Especially since our name is CHAMBERS!

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