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Just before the outbreak of war in September 1939 Iwas evacuated to a small village in Kent. However, when the Battle of Britain was raging in the Kentish skies I was brought back to live with my family in south east London. I was due to leave school at Easter 1943 and on January 20th that year I went off to school as usual in the morning....to Catford Central School, Sandhurst Rd, Catford. While in the playground at lunchtime I looked up at a lone, low flying aircraft...so low that I could see the face of the pilot. Fully convinced that it would be one of our fighters I was completely horrified to see the black crosses on the side of the plane. My friends and I ran into school and up to a re-inforced room on the second floor. The plane then returned on its bombing run, dropping a single bomb which demolished half the building. I was one of the lucky ones, sustaining head injuries which were treated at Lewisham Hospital. A few days later I re-visited the hospital to see my friend who had been badly injured. It happened to be the day of the Royal visit by Queen Elizabeth,who was distributing bananas among the victims. I can distinctly remember thinking, "I wonder where she got all those bananas from?" I have revisited the school, which was rebuilt, a couple of times since that day. Once to attend
a memorial service in January of last year, where I happened to meet and make friends with an elderly lady whose sister had been killed in the bombing. We have kept in touch and I was able to meet her recently and show her the memorial garden in the school playground. At my age (75) it is not easy to make new friends, and I think it is quite amazing that two people have become firm friends because of an act of war which took place many years ago. I would like to pay tribute to the staff of the present day school. They are always so welcoming when I visit the memorial garden.

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