Wendy ran home through the streets of Bexleyheath with the air- raid siren wailing, her little gas mask box bumping against her hip. Just as she reached her front gate, a Spitfire spiralled out of the air and crashed into the school field at the end of the road. You never forget a moment like that. Growing up in Bexleyheath in the Second World War, bombs, air-raid sirens and fear were all Wendy had ever known. Here, through the eyes of a small child, we see family life on the Home Front in 1944 in its entirety - from bombed-out houses to burnt potato peelings, from maths lessons and classroom antics to air-raid sirens and crashing planes. After the family slept through an air raid that destroyed the houses directly opposite, Wendy's parents decided it had become far too dangerous. Wendy, her sister Thelma and her brother Brian were evacuated to Burnley in Lancashire. Surrounded by a new accent, shining front steps and outdoor lavatories, this little girl felt a long way from home. She was surprised by the absence of air-raid shelters and the novelty of an uninterrupted night's sleep. However, the two women who took Wendy and her sister into their home helped her adjust to a new way of life. She remembers fondly the kindness of these women and the bond she developed with them, as well as her other experiences as an evacuee: a new school, nits, chickens, gravy, her first trip to the seaside and a pillowcase of Christmas presents. Wendy Appleton describes beautifully the memories that were imprinted so deeply on her young mind. These pages contain the sights, songs and sounds of her wartime childhood.
