I was born in August 1933 at Aveley Road, Romford.  I can remember bits before 1939, but only just - like going to my grandparents in Marks Road (they had a front room that No One went into), and the other ones named Gibson who lived around the corner.

In 1938 anyone could get an Anderson shelter.  My father got one and I helped put it up.  Everyone said that we were mad, but in 1939 they all got one.   In case the front was blocked you could undo bolts and get out the back.

When war was declared, everyone was so pleased.  We all hated the Russians, but then we all loved them - that I could not understand.

We all got gas masks; my young brother got a Mickey Mouse one.  We also had a shelter under our table; this was a wire one, I think called a Morrison after the man [Herbert Morrison, Home Secretary and Minister of Home Security in Churchill's coalition government].

I went to Mawney Road School in 1938.  When the war started, and the bombs were dropping, we children loved it, as we went into the air raid shelter (above ground, next to the road) and got a sweet.  But when things got very bad we had classes in people's houses (once a week in Our House).  If a school had been hit it would have killed a lot of children.

Being aged 7 in 1940 I loved the battle.  But one day there was a very big raid, and looking over Romford it was lit up for 3 nights (this was the docks).  I could have left, but my mother said no.  My father, who had been in WW1, died in 1940; he was in the Home Guard.

One night was the big one when Henry Haysom's was hit, some 300 yards from our house.  The next morning I went and had a look - bricks, and still smoking.

By the station they had a downed German aeroplane; we were all asked to put money in to get one of ours.  They came and took away all the iron railings, and they asked for all old pots and pans.

In 1944 the V-1s started to come over.  For 3 days I thought we had shot another one down; you could see the markings, etc.  Well this was too much, so our school told my mother that we Must go, so I left Romford with my school.

I came back to Romford from Scotland in 1945, within days of VE day, and went to Pettits Lane school.   I could see that the Boys side (the right hand side) had windows out etc, but it was not too bad; the girls side (left hand side) I think was OK.

I was going to leave at the age of 14, but in 1947 the Government changed the name of the school to "Secondary Modern", and changed the leaving age to 15.  I just came into this and was the first to have to stay on for another year.

Dave Wheal
April 2001- May 2002