- Contributed by听
- AgeConcernShropshire
- People in story:听
- Kathleen Roberts
- Location of story:听
- Wolverhampton
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A3303226
- Contributed on:听
- 20 November 2004
This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Susan Stefiuk of Age Concern Shropshire Telford and Wrekin on behalf of Kathleen Roberts and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.
When the war began I was working in a maternity hospital in Wolverhampton. I remember that every time there was an air raid warning the babies and their mother鈥檚 had to be moved to the cellar. When my fianc茅e was on leave from his army training he used to come with me in the ambulance to pick up the expectant mums when they went into labour, babies don鈥檛 hear sirens.
One morning in 1942 as I was hanging the washing on the line I heard a plane flying low overhead, no warning had been given. As I looked up I saw a bomb being dropped it was followed by a huge explosion which shook the ground leaving in its wake a cloud of smoke and broken windows. The target was a school for mentally disabled children was close by. Fortunately it was holiday time so no one was injured. The Germans must have thought it was an army Barracks as the Home Guard used it as a training ground.
At that time I was expecting my first baby. It was not very pleasant to have to get up two or three times during the night to go to the air raid shelter.
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