Surviving the Bombing

We survived the bombing in London by collecting funny stories. Like the day I asked the policeman where the unexploded bomb was and he said very seriously 'In the one and sixpennies dear'.

There were people living opposite us who,like us, sheltered from the bombs under the stairs. One night due to bomb blast their front door blew open,and in floated a man wrapped in a pink eiderdown. He subsided gently on the floor and the reverse blast closed the door.

When I worked in casualty at the Royal Free Hospital, a man was brought in decidedy startled at what had happened. He was an ambulance driver and a bomb had come down. He knew no more till he woke to find himself two streets away from his ambulance, apparently due to blast. Both of them were perfectly OK and he went straight back to work, glad to be reunited with his ambulance and the sandwiches he had left there, all intact if a bit dusty.

Another bit of funny if grim determination concerned my new coat. I was an impoverished medical student but had managed to find a bit of money by saving. I intended to get a new coat with my coupons, which I duly did. Feeling very proud of it I was walking along Russell Sqaure when I heard a doodle-bug coming over. I was NOT going to spoil my new coat by lying down when the thing cut out over me. So I just crouched against a railing, spoke angrily to the doodle bug- 'dont you dare fall on me', and it didnt, so my coat and I were both OK. I lived to wear it for many years.

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