East Grinstead

Memories of WWII - Maurice Dann

I spent the first years in hospital in chailey in susex,treatment was for tb we spent every day outside.so we watch the dog fights over our heads.i left hospital in 1942 i was 8 years old, went home to east grinstead.the german raids went over every night my family all 7 of us slept down stairs in a shelter made of steel plate.my brother was injured in the whitehall bombing.all time i had these calipers on my legs so i could not wmove very fast.when the first v1 came over a lot did not reach london they fell on or arround eg.we had our house damaged several times.roof,windows and doors all blown out,it was not funny at time one sunday morning early it was i was in our toilet by our back door. i heard the dronning engines of a v1 i heaved myself onto the seat push the window up,I still wonder what save me but there was this great explosion i was blown off the seat the irons my legs had wedged me beteen the walls.It was ages befor rest of family got me out uninjured .but the house was damaged like the others on our estate(sackville gardens)

On the days leading up to D day where I lived,sackville gardens and buckhurst way. All the front lawns had armoured vehicles parked on them, every space was filled. Every morning they started the tanks up the noise was deafing. Now the first large house in buckhurst way was used as a prison camp for Italians, before they surrendered. Is anyone living in east grinstead who remembers? I was 10 years old.

© Maurice Dann