Page 10 - My Story (final)

My Dad was still in Gibraltar and we used to listen to a families’ request programme on the radio,
hosted by Joan Gilbert, called, “Hello Gibraltar” where families could speak to their servicemen and then
request some piece of music. Jackie wrote to Joan Gilbert and we were scheduled to broadcast to Daddy
on June 6, 1944. We rehearsed what we would say, settled on what music we would request and then,
oh disappointment, the broadcast was cancelled, no explanation given. June 6, 1944 turned out to be D
Day.

The V1s had arrived. These were unmanned planes that you heard in the skies overhead. They had a
distinctive thrumming sound and then the engine would stop, there would be a couple of seconds silence
and then the plane/bomb would fall. We were terrified but at least they could be spotted and given an
air raid warning. We called them Flying Bombs. When the all clear sounded we children would rush
outside to see what had been hit and what shrapnel we could collect. There was a lot of competition over
shrapnel although even shrapnel could not compete with conkers in the autumn.

For those of you who did not grow up in England, conkers are horse chestnuts. They are lovely
shiny brown inedible nuts that fall to the ground wrapped in spiky green coats and children (grown men,
too, according to YouTube) collect them and look for the largest and hardest champion conker. You thread
your conker onto a string and then try to break everyone else’s conker by throwing it against theirs’. You
really need to go onto YouTube to see how the competition goes but it is serious stuff or was then and to
us children it was just as important as shrapnel or flying bombs!

The V1s were followed, in the fall of 1944, by the V2s, Hitler’s ultimate weapon. These arrived
without warning and fell with a huge explosion or maybe they exploded on impact. You never knew when
they were coming or where they would fall. London became such a nightmare that my mother decided
to take us away again. The place of choice this time was Rickmansworth because Uncle Rube and family
were there.

Our first billet was in Maple Cross where a very strict lady, Mrs. Churchill and her adopted
daughter, was she another Sheila?, greeted us. There were rules to be observed – you sit straight in your
chair and you do not tilt back because that will weaken the back legs. Sheila was always fed in the barn
and Mrs. Churchill would be happier if my mother fed us there. My mother declined and set about looking
for other lodgings.

Certain songs are always associated with the times. During the war we heard a lot of Roll out the Barrel-

Roll out the barrel, we’ll have a barrel of fun

And one that I think might have been a boy scout song and never made sense to me –

My eyes are dim, I cannot see
I have not bought my specs with me
I have not bought my specs with me

There were rats, rats, big as bloomin’ cats in the store, in the store
There were rats, rats, big as bloomin’ cats in the quarter master’s store.

And then, of course, there was Vera Lynn, the forces’ sweetheart, singing,

There’ll be bluebells over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow, just you wait and see

And

We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when,
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day.

Meanwhile my mother heard of a London grammar (secondary) school that was evacuated to
Rickmansworth and sharing a building with the Royal Masonic School in Chorley Wood. We went along

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