Home Of Gt.Grandparents

My brother and I grew up in Sheet during World War 2, we lived in the cottage next to the school. My mother became a war widow in 1941 and many neighbours in school lane took turns to look after us when she had to go out to work. There was an air raid shelter further down the lane where we all went at night during heavy raids and sat on wooden benches on each others laps with roots coming through the walls and a smell of raw earth.. When the war ended I was seven and remember taking part in a procession round the village from the green carrying flaming torches above our heads and marvelling that there was no blackout any more.

I live in School Lane today and the entrance to the air raid shelter is still visible although largely overgrown. An elderly neighbour told me that he remembered walking down from Sheet Primary school as a lad to seek shelter during raids. I am verger at St Marys and it is interesting to see pictures of the church without a clock. Today I have to wind the mechanism, which is driven by drop weights, every week. Still working after 113 years or so.