Memories

London

The Day War Broke Out –September 1939

By Normen Long

It was the day we were getting ready for our holiday at Margate. Mum, Dad, two elder sisters, two elder brothers, myself and the baby twins in their double pram, bags and parcels, all made our way to Herne Hill Railway Station. First a half mile walk, then the bus, As we got off the bus there was confusion, people were running about saying that war had been declared, between England and Germany.

Dad said that we would have to go back home, as it would not be safe to go to the seaside, as it was on the coast near to Germany, and we may be invaded by German Soldiers or get bombed by aeroplanes. We waited at the bus stop for ages but none came. A car driver stopped, he said that no buses were running as all the bus drivers had taken them back to the bus depot ,and he asked where were we trying to get to, and Dad said, “East Dulwich�? The driver offered to take us all home, as it was a very large car it took all nine of us, and the bags! And the pram! As we drove home Dad said to the driver, “All I want to do is get home with my family�?

In the first World War he had been a prisoner in Austria for four years. He thought that now as he was fifty-four years old he would not be called up for service abroad, although he thought he might have to join something. Aunt Ali who lived with us, she had a room on the forth floor, came running down, she was flustered, and did not know why we had returned home. I can still remember her saying , Oh my gawd! What’s happened?�? Dad said it “Its because the war had started�?

Aunt knew nothing of this, but she did wonder why the church bells had been ringing all morning.

Dad thought that the wireless would be broadcasting the latest news of the war. We had a radio that worked from an accumulator, that is a glass jar with lead hanging in acid with two terminals, when charged it worked as a battery. Dad always put this away after it was used into the cupboard under the stairs, and we were forbidden to go near it as we could get burnt by the acid if it were spilt. We all watched and waited while Dad fetched the accumulator, put it on the table, then got the receiver connected two wires to it, then an other wire that he pulled in through the window, The other end of this wire went up to the top of the house, down the garden to the conker tree. This was called the aerial. All these were fitted together, we all sat around the large table, all ten of us, waiting for the set to warm up, we could see the valves inside start to glow as they warmed up. Dad fiddled with the tuning knob, then we could hear someone speaking but it was foreign. Dad tried again, this time it was music, but after a while a man said “There will be a special announcement shortly by The Prime Minister, Mr Chamberlain�?. The speech was made, we were told that a state of war was between us, nobody knew what this meant, or how it would affect us. Mum made tea, and opened the sandwiches that we were going to have on the beach at Margate.

By Norman Long aged 8

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