Memories of Rose Margaret Harden. 1939-1945

My name is Rose Harden, my first memories of the war are of a bomb falling on our local corner shop, I was eight years old when it started, and we lived at No.2 Dicksee House, Lyons Place, St. Marylebone, London N.W.8, the shop was in Orchardson Street, the next turning to us; all the debris fell into our courtyard.
I remember watching; with my cousin and friends as the firemen were digging to get the owner of the shop out, (Mr. Arthur Overhead), he was dead and so was his black spaniel dog, they came out holding it by the head and tail; yet a crate of milk bottles came out and not one was broken. A lady walking by had her head blown off.
I remember going into the air raid shelters that were built for us between the flats, we were all very frightened, the sound of the guns firing at the planes, we could hear everything.
We moved to No.1 Orchardson House in the early months of the war. That block was bombed in half, the block opposite was also bombed, a shelter nearby got a direct hit and lots of people were killed, including friends of mine, a plaque now marks the spot in their honour.
I remember when the warning was sounded, my mum and eldest sister would wake us up to get dressed before we could go to the shelter, (in case we got a chill). My mum was petrified, which made me very frightened. You would run out and the searchlights would light the night sky, guns were going off, I had never heard sounds like it before.
When it got really bad, we took to the Underground, Edgware Road Station was our sleeping quarters for many months. Our spot was under the clock on the platform. It was heaven, you could hear nothing, just the sound of the trains coming in. The camaraderie was wonderful, soldiers, sailors and airmen would see us lying there and throw coppers to us as they pulled out.
My dad, however, never left his bed — not for even one night; he just made sure we were all safe and then would return home.
As I remember, we had people selling drinks on the platform and other people would come down, when the pubs shut, they would be singing and dancing, it was like one big party! You didn’t feel afraid any more.

It was my job, when I got home from school, to take the pram, with all the blankets on and push it down to the station to secure our spot, (that was before they put bunks on the platform). We just slept on the floor. The porters would never let us in the lift, so we had to kick them all the way down the stairs. We were too young and little to carry all those blankets really, no wonder we kids ended up with scabies.
We would emerge from the underground in the morning. Bombs had fallen everywhere, firemen with hose pipes were all over the roads, putting out fires. We had to try and push the pram home with all the blankets on over the hose pipes, water was everywhere (we were not allowed to leave the blankets on the platform at that time). Later, we were given bunks, which had our number on, so no one could take your place. The sky was always full of barrage balloons, we used to play in the bombed out flats and collect tins of shrapnel, we had lots of friends to play with so it was like an adventure.
I was evacuated 3 times, to Staffordshire, Wales and another place that I cannot remember, but we kids just wanted to come home to London to be with our families.
I remember the large water tanks, also where the first bomb had fallen near my flat. Many years after, when the street was re-built, they found an unexploded bomb, right next door to the shops. The Army had to come and dismantle it.
I have lots more to tell, but these were the most important parts. Except for when they were going over to free Europe, the sky was just one mass of planes, they just kept going and going overhead all day, what a sight.
And V.E. Day, a day I will never forget. The nights of no street lights and blackout curtains at the windows were over. And V.J. Day, I was 14 years old, we all danced from Marble Arch, arms linked and singing, right down to Piccadilly. Everybody so happy and celebrating and spread right across Oxford Street — a wonderful, wonderful day!

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.