Essex

Dovercourt Dance Halls

The French Submarines were here with their depot ship the Jules Verne, the British had the Cyclops, there...

Lord Haw-Haw?

Dora Norrington - Lord ‘Haw-Haw’ Dora: During the 1930s and the early part of the war we kept a...

A child's view of WW II

As a very young child, in a village near Chelmsford, my recollections of the war is imperfect, but vivid......

My Husband an Arnham Hero

While at Hoffman's, a message came through on German Radio that he was safe. The next day I recieved...

Childhood Memories from Rayleigh, Essex: Child's Play

Some of the cordite we packed into a golden syrup tin, the lid hammered down, and a small hole knocked in...

Childhood Memories from Rayleigh in Essex: Child's Play

Some of the cordite we packed into a golden syrup tin, the lid hammered down, and a small hole knocked in...

Wartime in Dartmouth

In terms of further activity I can remember a German reconnaisance plane flying over the harbour a few days...

Evacuation To Harlow

At last, the bus pulled into a little school and the children were told to walk in a single line towards...

Great Baddow Village in Wartime

Rosemary Hill - Explosions in Great Baddow....

Air Raid over Chelmsford — 13 May 1943

There was a noise at the back door and there was Cyril's father in his uniform and steel helmet who had...

A Toddler's Evacuation

Granny Symes” - the eldest sister used to give me bread and margarine with sugar on the top! A...

After a Bomb Fell - Romford

Mother and I visited a friend whose bungalow was badly damaged by a bomb, all doors & windows had gone,...

My War: Evacuated from Harwich to Thornbury Part 2

Bill smith....

War in Camberwell

On one occasion my house had been bombed and I was having a cup of tea at the WVS caravan when a...

Parachuting into Dagenham

Parachuting into Dagenham...

A Close Shave in Chadwell Heath

During the early hours Hitler decided that Chadwell Heath was the latest port of call and we had quite a...

Child's View: Waiting for the war to end

Down our garden, hidden by brambles, was a stuffy damp air-raid shelter where grandparents, parents, baby...

The Banana

On one of these occasions, probably during 1944, they came back from the pub very excited and we heard that...

A Railwayman's War: Part 5

Doodle Bugs I had many close encounters with Doodle-Bugs, Hitler VI Flying Bombs. What woke me up, I...

Bewildered Days Of Childhood: In Chadwell Heath

I suppose what interests me about the war is the way those years are able to stay in ones mind, years that...

My Auntie Jean's story

Weddings in the War If you were going to a wedding friends and neighbours would rally round and lend you...

Evacuation: Southend to Derby

My dad was stationed near Derby with the army so my mum came there to live and got a job working on...

My RAF Life - Chapter 1

I was born on the first of May 1923 the only child of Emma Alice and Wilfred James Evans and our home...

My Father's War

My father, Robert Powton, joined up in September 1939 as a Clerk in REME, later transfering to the...

Three Times an Evacuee

On sunday morning the third of september 1939,i was evacuated along with my two younger brothers to great...

Where Were You When ...?

The V2 which came down in Goodmayes Park, Ilford in February 1945 was a minor incident by the standards of...