Bombed in the war

A lucky escape

By Christopher Masters

I used to live in Durban Road West opposite St Michaels Church and the Navy took over our house in the 2nd World War.  They had a telephone line put in in 24 hours.  We used to have bales of naval message pads in our dining room.  My Mum used write her shopping lists on them, and I would take them to the shops.  The shop keeper used to pretend he was getting important messages from the Navy.

I heard the whistle of a bomb

I was 11 when the war started.  I remember once we were in an air raid shelter by Victoria School.  We were in there for hours and they let us go about 4 o’clock.  I crossed Whippendell Road by Lee Wiggs and Clark Dairy.  There was a whistle of the bomb dropping and I ran into the alley next to the dairy.  A man ran out and shouted at me to get out as the blast would get me in the alley.

The bomb landed in between 2 chimney breasts in Park Avenue, a lady in the front room survived.  The blast went all the way down Durban Road West and broke the bay window in one of the houses.

Bombs were landing everywhere

A bomb also landed in the gas main in Rickmansworth Road.  I could see the flame from my house.  Three bombs landed in Cassiobury Park.

They built air raid shelters in 1940 under the car park at Sainsburys and one in Exchange Road, I think they might still be there today.

This page was added on 17/05/2012.

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  • I lived in a thatched cottage just up the fields from Wormley West End… We had five or six bombs dropped one evening in 43/44. between our cottage and Carters farm, Wormley West End. Two on the edge ofthe wood and three or four others down the field. None hit any buildings. A V2 rocket landed in the woodland about a mile or so westwards from our cottage. It left a great hole..we, as children picked a piece or two, which have since been lost. We also had a ‘oil bomb ‘ drop in the field opposite our cottage, about as hundred yards away. This left a bare patch of ground for a few years. There were a number of incendiary bombs dropped the premises of a Judge Beazley ‘ near Carneles Green. Me, my brother and a friend picked a few up, and took them home. One was exploded in the road, very rural, the police were called and we got a big telling off !!! I hope this adds to your record for WW2.

    By Jim Bamber (12/06/2023)
  • Very informative.

    By Colin Hazell (25/07/2020)
  • I remember this – lived in Parkside Drive and a bomb sucked out the kitchen window, not blew it in. I think 4 dropped in the park. Anyone got any idea what year it was?

    By Howard Simpson (17/10/2019)
  • I rember tis bomb as I wasabout 11 at the time and had gone to a shop in whippendale road from chester road to shop for my mother and can remeber running to see me as she thought the bomb had hit me

    By Terry Clowsley (09/01/2018)