Shopping At The Heathway

A Memory of Dagenham.

My mother asked me to go to the shops and get some bread at Barton's the bakers.
I was just ten years old. 'But' she said, 'if a raid starts, don't hang about but run straight back home'. I often had to go to the shops, it was never a lot I had to get - mainly just one or two things, and if a raid did start, providing it was relatively quiet, I would always try to get these things. So this day saw me queueing up for bread - you had to queue for everything in those days, when suddenly a distant siren was heard. Everyone shifted about slightly looking about them. Then a more closer siren joined in, the queue became more agitated. Then our local one blared out its warning, each siren getting louder and louder making you feel that there was just nowhere you could hide. But we still held our nerve and position. But then I picked up the sound of ack-ack gunfire - distant but ominous. Then my finely tuned ears detected the out of tune throb of German bombers. I left the queue and started for home. As I ran down Parsloes Avenue towards Meadow Road where I lived, the sound of ack-ack guns and throb of bombers overhead had me terrified. Then just as panic took hold, a man came out of his porch, opened his front gate - grabbed hold of me and quickly took me back to his porch where he put his arms around me for protection, then we both huddled down cowering from the noise of guns and bombers. We could hear the clank of shrapnel hitting rooftops and pavements but I can't recall if any bombs dropped.  Then he said 'Don't worry son, it won't last long, they're on their way to better targets. They'll be gone shortly, then you can hurry on home'.
It didn't last long, the bombers did pass over and although the raid was still on it quietened  down considerably. After a few minutes he said 'OK son you should be alright now, but hurry home as fast as you can'.   
I was grateful to that man for comforting me and protecting me, and felt no concern at all when he put his arm around me for protection.  I wonder how many children today would feel the same confidence.  

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