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[Charlie Reams]

I'm interested too, your style reminds me of this guy who I used to watch extensively, although I don't know if his newer stuff is as interesting.

[Charlie Reams]

Talking of people who are old but still interesting (shock horror!), has anyone else read A Potted History of Peaksoft by our own Harry Whitehouse? Very amusingly written and shows how times have changed from the days when a lone programmer could knock out a professional-quality game in a few weeks.

[George Jenkins]

You write so vividly, it really shows that you're an artist, and that those memories are important! In Hollywood films, as you said, nobody gets hurt. Either that, or it goes to the opposite extreme, with a film about unfortunate victims of Hitler and his regime. They just don't portray everyday life in the war, so it's even more valuable to hear what you have to say! It was more romantic then too by the sounds of it! I think that teenagers today (apologies for generalising) don't appreciate that Britain wasn't always like it is now, and also don't respect the legacy of the solders that died to protect our freedom, which is why it's so wonderful to hear from you.

Hannah, to continue with my experiences in the war, It is the winter of 1940, and I am in the front room of our house. It is early in the evening and pitch dark. Hannah! you have no idea of real darkness in a blackout. If there was thick cloud and no moon, You could walk into someone without seeing them. you could only be alerted by hearing footsteps.

Nowadays; If you walk out in the dark, it is not dark at all because there is so much reflected light. it is called light pollution, and it even dims the stars. In the war cycle lamps had to be masked, and had a hood to stop the light being seen from above. the theory being, that it could invite a rain of bombs. Traffic lights were masked, except for a tiny cross of light.

I am in the front room with my younger brother, and we are playing snakes and ladders.The blackout shutters are fixed; and the window is right behind me.

WHHOOOOOOMMMP! It seems hard to think and know what to do. I remember the sound. It was lovely and soft and hollow, but it's dark and I'm trying to get up, and there is something heavy on my back. Our Mother comes running in calling something, but I don't know what she's saying,I seem to be a bit deaf,

We finally all got to the shelter, and then our Dad poked his head in. He was an Air raid Warden, and had seen the explosion and thought it was very near our house. He'd come expecting to see our house flattened. I gradually got my hearing back, and only suffered from a sore head.
I was very lucky that it was the wooden shutter that was blown in, because it sheltered me from all the glass in the window that followed it. If we'd had just a blackout curtain, I would have received the full force of the glass. There were many injuries due to flying shards of glass. I suppose that it was the shutter that caused me to be a bit confused when it bashed me on the head, but I soon recovered.

The next morning I went out to see the damage, and my first impression was clay. Huge lumps of clay everywhere. Roof tiles smashed, clay half buried in the road and pavements. It was a parachute sea mine and luckily for us, it dropped behind a row of houses which protected our house from most of the blast. It was about 300yds. from us.

The mine dropped in the middle of about 200 houses set in the form of a square. They were all destroyed or severely damaged. The crater was deep enough to hide a double-decker bus. the reason being the soft clay, which was now spread over the town. one detail which I thought was a bit sad, was the sight of an air raid shelter perched right on the top edge of the crater, leaning over , and all crushed out of shape, I thought of the people whom might have been in it. I went down into the crater to look for silk Parachute pieces and cord. I found some but it was too burnt

Of course, the rescue people and ambulances would have been there all night and the dead bodies and injured would have been removed.

If you wonder how I can remember all these experiences, HannaH, the answer is simple. they are burned in my memory, Even the feeling that I had when I was under that shutter and I didn't know what had happened. I am supposed to be playing snakes and ladders so why is it dark and why this weight on me.

But now I will tell you of a different feeling. There came the day when the Government decided that there was no more danger from air raids, and lifted the blackout order. I walked out that Evening just to look. I walked to the top of a hill and looked towards London. I was absolutely awestruck at the panorama of a sea of light. We hadn't see light for nearly 5years.

That is the end of my story Hannah and thank you for your patience. there is a lot more of course, but it would only be more of the same

George Jenkins

[Naomi Laddiman]

Callum (Laddiman) completely wiped the floor with me in a numbers-only game. I'm now assuming that the entire Laddiman family is made up of geniuses

No Hannah, I can confirm that this is definitely NOT the case. Both Tim and I are relatively thick and have come to the conclusion that all 4 boys were swapped at birth!

[Allan Harmer]

George

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry about being so late in replying as I was working away last week and am now catching up on the threads I missed.

I have really enjoyed reading about your past and War experiences as they reminded me of my late dad, who would be 79 this year. He used to tell me all about the doodlebugs and the air raids as he lived right next to the Dockyard in Portsmouth.

My mum also tells me about when she was evacuated aduring the War and recalls her experiences of living in the country.

Judging by what they told me and you have written, it must have been a frightening, confusing yet exciting time for a young person during the War.

My son was heavily into 'Thomas The Tank Engine' when he was a youngster and we spent many happy times riding on steam trains and collecting model trains and the related books. He remembers all their names and we are still suckers for a steam train ride.

I'm in my mid 50's now but I still feel like a teenager and young at heart. The only difference is that when I look in the mirror I see my dad!!

I hope you enjoy CD for many years to come and keep posting your interesting yarns on here.

Best wishes to you and your wife

Al.

[George Jenkins]

George

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry about being so late in replying as I was working away last week and am now catching up on the threads I missed.

I have really enjoyed reading about your past and War experiences as they reminded me of my late dad, who would be 79 this year. He used to tell me all about the doodlebugs and the air raids as he lived right next to the Dockyard in Portsmouth.

My mum also tells me about when she was evacuated aduring the War and recalls her experiences of living in the country.

Judging by what they told me and you have written, it must have been a frightening, confusing yet exciting time for a young person during the War.

My son was heavily into 'Thomas The Tank Engine' when he was a youngster and we spent many happy times riding on steam trains and collecting model trains and the related books. He remembers all their names and we are still suckers for a steam train ride.

I'm in my mid 50's now but I still feel like a teenager and young at heart. The only difference is that when I look in the mirror I see my dad!!

I hope you enjoy CD for many years to come and keep posting your interesting yarns on here.

Best wishes to you and your wife

Al.

Allan, Hi! As you seem to have an interest with trains, perhaps you would like to come with me (in your imagination) on one particular trip with freight, between Hither Green sidings and a place called Hoo Junction, on the north Kent marshes

I hooked onto the train and the Guard informed me of the load. I saw that the wagons were very high and of steel, and loaded with coal. these wagons had no brakes that I could control. that meant that I had only the engine brake, and the Guard's brake, provided he screwed it on to assist me. They were very good, and we worked as a team.

So off we went and the first part of the trip was up a gradient till we got to the bridge spanning the A20, and then the track levelled a bit.

To climb this gradient I opened full regulator valve and the speed was no more than about ten M.P.H. Rockets of fire and embers were streaming high in the sky and falling all around us, But I couldn't ease off the regulator because if we'd stopped, I would never get started again, and there were catch points to divert broken away wagons off the track. ( the next day, My mates were wondering whom set the telegraph poles and the grass banks alight)

I got over the bank and trundled gently along the dartford Loop, because I knew that; as I could hardly pull the train uphill, I'm going to have trouble stopping it downHill. At a place called Northfleet, I applied full brakes because now I am on a down gradient approaching Gravesend, and about five miles from our destination.

Bang! the engine wanted to stop, but the wagons didn't, so they came up to the engine and we increased speed. I wasn't bothered, because it was in the middle of the night, and all signals were clear. We still had a long way to go. then the track levels out and we trundle along the north Kent marshes. But we ain't slowing up and we are on the level, and looking back, I can see the Guard's brake wheels looking like catherine wheels, so he's helping me.

About half a mile in the distance I can see Hoo Junction signals that are at red. I cock-a-doodleoooood with the whistle, and that tells the signalman the I can't stop. As we approach, he pulls the signal off for us to run over the crossings and into the sidings, and it was the crossings that helped to slow us down. I had told my Fireman that, if necessary we will step off the engine as gracefully as possible, because with a violent stop, wagons have a tendency to climb up onto the engine.

However, we crawled up to the Buffer stops with the brakes still full on and stopped, I got off the engine to see how far from the stops we were, and it was less than a foot. I would like to tell you Alan, that it was skill on my part that we arrived safely, but I can't. It was full brakes on and jump if we had to. Did we sit trembling because of our experience? No we didn't. we made the tea, ate our sandwiches and had a little kip before working our next trip back to Hither Green. It was my first experience with what was now known to be a "block Load". and a few Drivers whom ran by red lights, were awarded two days off without pay for their crime.

And that Alan, was how we worked freight trains, Nowadays wagons and vans are fitted with brakes controlled by the the Driver, and perhaps if we'd had them, I wouldn't have these nightmares where I can't stop my train. On the other hand, my dreams are exciting, and I am always glad and relieved when I wake up. All the best George

[Kirk Bevins]

Allan, Hi! As you seem to have an interest with trains, perhaps you would like to come with me (in your imagination) on one particular trip with freight, between Hither Green sidings and a place called Hoo Junction, on the north Kent marshes

Nice. Shame Hither Green is almost dead now but I think Hoo Junction is alive and well, mainly for ballast trains.

[Allan Harmer]

Al.[/quote]
Allan, Hi! As you seem to have an interest with trains, perhaps you would like to come with me (in your imagination) on one particular trip with freight, between Hither Green sidings and a place called Hoo Junction, on the north Kent marshes

George - Great yarn mate. I don't think the Rev WV Awdry himself could have bettered that!

Thanks for sharing it with us and brightening a dull day.

Al

[Jason Larsen]

Once again, welcome to the forum, George!

[George Jenkins]

Once again, welcome to the forum, George!

Hello Jason, thanks for the welcome. I like reading your comments. As I said elsewhere in these columns, I found Americans very friendly and easy to talk to. I nearly caused a Diplomatic incident at Canadian- USA border Post when the young lady in the Post asked me what weight I was. I said ten Stone, and her jaw dropped. She said "Eh". I made a quick calculation which was hard, as I was always bottom of the Class with arithmetic. I thought, 14 Pounds equals one Stone x10, add on a nought equals 140. that's when I found out that our common Language can be a bit different. George