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One day in particular, a hot summer's day during 1940, will stay in my memory for ever. I was 14 years old and happily fishing the 'Chase' gravel pits, Dagenham with my home made roach pole of a bamboo cane, on a Saturday afternoon, when the air raid sirens sounded. In common with most people at that time, I did not make a run for home and the air raid shelter because up till then air raid sirens sounded with little activity from the enemy. After some time I happened to look upwards, on hearing the sound of aircraft and I witnessed a sky black with aircraft at a great height (probably 20 to 30 thousand feet) and slowly making their way towards London. There were balls of smoke from bursting anti-aircraft shells and weaving in and out of the main body of aircraft, were small aircraft which could only have been our fighter planes. Occasionally a parachute would open. Strangely I did not feel any fear of any danger to myself, just completely captivated by what was taking place. When I finally did get home, the sky in the direction of London seemed to obliterated by smoke. My parents said "the bombs have hit Beckton Gas Works". Little did we know that it was the start of the 'Blitz' and that the smoke was from the London Docks. Records show that that between 50 to 300 German aircraft attacked London on each raid.
Ray Smith, July 2000.
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