- Contributed by听
- CSV Action Desk Leicester
- People in story:听
- Elaine Guyll
- Location of story:听
- Leicester
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4398393
- Contributed on:听
- 08 July 2005
I was 8 years old in 1939. By the time I was about ten Leicester had been bombed, probably en route to Coventry.
The Methodist church in Saxby Street suffered a direct hit from a 'plane; the next day, I went there with my mother and saw that half of it had been completely destroyed.
When the sirens would sound we would go the air raid shelters in Victoria Park. The scariest time was when a mine fell on the pavilion on the park - we could feel the tremors even though we were underground.
I also remember seeing incendiary bombs falling from 'planes - they always came down in threes.
School life was quite good fun. I was at Medway Street Junior School - if there had been a raid the night before we were allowed to go to sleep as we would have been up all night. Of course being naughty children we all thought this was super! I also remember the sandbagged windows there.
In my final year there we would go potato picking which we loved because it meant getting out into the countryside. There were both Italian prisoners there (which we got on with very well) and the land girls.
鈥淭his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 Was site by Keith Ruffles of the CSV Action Desk on behalf of Elaine Guyll and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.鈥
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