Bombs, Stinging Nettles and Doodlebugs
Montpelier Gardens, East Ham: not a bad place for a growing boy, if you liked sports and were happy at school. But this was 1939, and World War II was just around the corner. At first it was all very exciting. There were aerial dogfights over London, evacuation to the countryside and new horizons, girls and aircraft to be identified, and the certainty of a swift victory. Then, with the mass bombings of the East End by the Luftwaffe, came the realisation that death was round the corner - literally. The nettles had a sting. And even when the Blitz was over, a terrifying new weapon was unleashed over Southern England - the V-1 flying bomb or `doodlebug`. When the engine cut out you had ten seconds to live, as the author found out - almost!...
