- Contributed by听
- Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2005
- People in story:听
- Frazer Imrie, Derek (brother), Mr and Mrs Elliot (grandparents)
- Location of story:听
- Dover, Kent
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4431908
- Contributed on:听
- 11 July 2005
The story was submitted to the site by a member of the People's War Team. The author, Frazer Imrie, agreed to the terms and conditions on the site.
I grew up in Dover, in Kent. At the outbreak of war I was 8. Very early they delivered Anderson shelters as they anticipated a long war. We dug the hole by hand (me and my father) and turfed it over. The hole was about 4-5 feet deep, and 12 feet long. The soil had chalk underneath it so it wasn't easy. We built in a wooden blast wall which was also semi buried with a right angled turn into the centre as advised.
It turned out to be a life saver. After the Germans captured France, Dover was shelled. You get no warning. The warning is the first shell landing. There was two bursts of the air raid siren (meaning the attack was shells not bombs.)
During the middle of the war we slept more in the shelter than in our own beds.
My father was in the Civil Defence - as he worked in a reserved capacity as a stone mason - digging people out of the rubble. My mother was an ambulance driver. They were often not there. Mt grandparents and my brother (aged 5) slept in the shelter.
When you are in an anderson shelter you can tell the difference between a shell and a bomb. With a bomb you hear it drop - it isn't a loud bang and the ground does not shake. 21 inch shells penetrate the soil and then the ground shakes. My brother and I would count the number of shells and the number of bombs.
After the war when we slept in the house it was really quiet and we found it difficult to sleep.
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