|
11-02-2009, 02:03 PM
| #1 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Posts: 721
| My Wife's Grandmother I got to talk to my wife's grandmother who was 8 living in london during the battle of Britain. I only got some of the stories cause her hubby was trying to talk to me at the same time about Obama. Anyways, I will write down here what she said and what I can remember. She was 8 during the BoB time. She said she had a bomb come through her living room but didnt explode. Another time she had 3 in the back yard but also didnt explode. She went on to tell me that her sister had died in a bombing. She said the bomb shelters were built under the back yard, but were not really sturdy or well built. She mentioned doodlebugs, which i was thinking is the V-1 buzz bombs. I played a audio of it for her, and she said those were the doodle bugs that she was talking about. The closest one landed about 4 blocks away from her house. I hope some of this is intresting, as it was very intresting listening to her tell the stories.
__________________  The four elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Of these, I call your attention to two: Air and Fire. Though it is your privilege to live in the air, you will die by fire. |
|         |
|
11-02-2009, 02:05 PM
| #2 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Stafford Springs, Connecticut
Posts: 2,221
| Interesting Beau, glad your grandmother made it out of the blitz alright, though sorry about her sister.
__________________ "Never was so much owed by so many to so few"- Winston Churchill.  |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 02:07 PM
| #3 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Glenrothes Scotland
Posts: 289
| air raid shelters the shelters were called Anderson shelters they came as a kit which you assembled yourself .I believe there may still be some left in out of the way places here in the uk
__________________  "It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself." The Declaration of Arbroath C1320 |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 02:11 PM
| #4 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Glenrothes Scotland
Posts: 289
| found a picture of 1 under construction looks like everybody pitched in as they did in those days
__________________ "It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself." The Declaration of Arbroath C1320 |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 03:12 PM
| #5 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina
Posts: 3,722
  | That's very cool BP, you should rcord her as she is telling her stories.
__________________ "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it" "Those who dwell in the past, condemn the future"  |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 03:20 PM
| #6 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 9,030
| Nice account BP. Those Anderson shelters wouldn't, of course, protect against a direct or close hit, but were effective against blast and an even more frequent danger, the shrapnel from the AA barrage. I remember one in my Aunt's back garden, as a kid in the '50's. It's probably still there!
__________________  |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 03:28 PM
| #7 | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Posts: 721
| Quote:
__________________ The four elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Of these, I call your attention to two: Air and Fire. Though it is your privilege to live in the air, you will die by fire. | |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 03:42 PM
| #8 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Dallas, Tx
Posts: 4,345
| Are those shelters just corrogated tin surrounded with dirt?
__________________  |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 11:02 PM
| #9 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Hurst, Texas
Posts: 2,823
| Very interesting indeed, Beau! And definitely pick up a voice recorder (you can find them from $15-$20 if you get the tape variety, a decent digital will run ~$30), you'll cherish those memories when she's gone (many many years from now, Lord willing!)
__________________  Pillage, then burn. Argue not with dragons, for thou art crunchy and go well on toast. |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 11:22 PM
| #10 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Abingdon, VA.
Posts: 2,283
| very interesting Beau! Thank you for sharing! 
__________________  |
|
| |
|
11-02-2009, 11:24 PM
| #11 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Corona, California
Posts: 1,534
| Thanks for sharing BP. Wheels
__________________ Cheers  Wheelsup_cavu  Wheels's Photos - Time lapse build of an F/A-18 Super Hornet - Lock N' Load  |
|
| |
|
11-03-2009, 03:43 AM
| #12 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Glenrothes Scotland
Posts: 289
| yes the anderson shelter was just wriggly tin with dirt on top it had to be dug into the ground then it was reccomended it had at least 18 inches of dirt on the top
__________________ "It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself." The Declaration of Arbroath C1320 |
|
| |
|
11-03-2009, 03:48 AM
| #13 | |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Osaka
Posts: 781
| Quote:
A lady of the same age is daily working with me. She talks to me about the air-raid by B-29s and later nice meeting with the allied forces soldiers as if that had happend just a few years ago 
__________________  | |
|
| |
|
11-03-2009, 04:25 AM
| #14 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Redding, California
Posts: 3,346
| I had the priveledge of having both my Great Grandmother and great Grandfather around when I was a youngster. The memories they shared with me reached back into the 1800's and I wish that I had the opportunity to write down (or record) those stories, but you just din't think about those things when you were a kid... Glad you were able to get some recollections, BP...hopefully you'll be able to have a chance to sit down and have another chat with her.
__________________  "Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future." - Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome > I Support Doug Gillis < |
|
| |
|
11-03-2009, 05:16 AM
| #15 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Canberra
Posts: 829
| Great story Beau. The un-exploding bombs would be quite normal, many of them were made under forced labour by victims of the Rich and many would take a great risk by doctoring the bombs in some way so that they were duds. It was also quite common for bombs not to explode on impact, the technology being quite crude in comparison to today. The real heroes were the men of the UXB in WWII who risked life to defuse them. Even today these bombs are still being found in England 
__________________  Thunder and Lightning |
| |
 |
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
| |
Linear Mode
