Remembering

It all seems so long ago now … as indeed it was … probably longer than most people can remember, but not at all unusual in my childhood when I had to remember to get out of bed very carefully to avoid putting my foot in the 'goesunder' if nature called me out during the night!  We had more modern facilities in an  out-building in the garden, but that was not a comfortable experience, especially in winter!

All of which reminds me of 80 consecutive nights in 1940, sleeping in a corrugated iron bomb shelter half-buried in the waterlogged London clay behind my parental home while the Luftwaffe did their business overhead. That was uncomfortable too, and was etched into the memory of a then nine-year-old, but others elsewhere were far less comfortable, and many did not live to tell the tale.

I often think back to those days now and realize how lucky I was when I hear of the appalling experiences of so many children in other war-torn parts of the world today.

Remembrance Day(s) indeed!

( Domestic arrangements are somewhat better now, but I was able to take this shot in a museum! )