Memories of the Local Bombings 1941-2

NNWFHS Member Mike Sharrod Writes:

I was born in 1929 and lived with my parents and younger sister at no11 Gypsy Lane from then until 1949. My memories of wartime bombings from my early teens are obviously disjointed but these are what I do remember.

My first experience I found very frightening, my sister, mother and I cowering in the corner of our living room as bombs planes and guns made noise all around on what I assume to be the night of either the Nuneaton or first Coventry blitz.

As a result of that night a shelter that we shared with our neighbours was built in our back garden. From then on I don’t remember being frightened, just very confident that we were safe – even when an anti-aircraft shell (that had not exploded in the air) landed in the garden and blew an apple tree out of the ground. The anti-aicraft guns were in the field behind the even-numbered houses opposite.

The nearest bomb to us hit the local shop at the White Stone garage and we children were round first thing next morning for all the goodies that were being given away.

I cycled each school day to King Edwards grammar and I have a very clear memory of a difficult ride through rubble strewn roads, particularly so between Attleborough and the school when I had to carry my bicycle over the completely blocked road. But I don’t remember having any time off school even when it was bombed, when we sat in a room of the headmasters house muffled in coat and scarf with snow in the corner where it had come in through a hole in the roof. After that we moved to the girls High School for a while until temporary class rooms were added to the grammar when, unfortunately, we had to move back.