Wartime memories

Hello
It has always amazed me that I can actually remember some aspects of wartime Britain considering I was born in 1942. My parents moved down from Paisley in Scotland to rented accommodation in Bexley, Tile Kiln Lane near Dartford Heath. My father was a marine engineer officer in the Merchant Navy with the Clan Line on North Atlantic convoys and it appeared he would be on a regular run to Gillingham (if the ship survived)and as my mother was expecting me it seemed like a good idea to move somewhere near.
I can recollect the lounge sofa being upturned and my mother and I sleeping underneath as a form of protection from possible bombing. She also took me to the front door in the evening sunsets to hear and watch the distant British bombers flying out en-masse to Germany, presumably these were the "thousand bomber raids".
I aslo remember being in the crowd in front of Buckingham Palace to see the King and Queen on V-E day. I was hoisted up on some gentleman's shoulders for a better view we were so far away and I remember thinking that the Royalty were very tiny indeed !
My father survived the war but on three occasions when he was posted to another ship, at the last minute there was a change of orders and it turned out that those ships were sunk.

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