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I was 10 years old when my most vivid memory of our family sleeping in our rather cold damp Anderson Shelter in the front garden of our back house in St. Pauls Road,Balsall Heath, Birmingham in the autumn of 1940, was one night when the bomb blasts were obviously coming ominously closer to us, there was a loud "clang" on the steel roof of the shelter, and by the light of a torch a tennis ball sized dent in
the metal could be seen, (I just froze and wondered why there was no "Bang"!?).
the menfolk went outside to look ,wardens and a policeman had heard the noise, but although there was a large bald patch in the earth that had covered the shelter, nothing could be found in the dark, someone suggested that it might be a delayed action bomb!, upon hearing this my mother took us all rapidly to a brick shelter nearby for the rest of the night.
Following a good search in daylight, in a neighbouring garden the complete nosecap of a large anti-aircraft shell was found. this fitted the indentation perfectly, so great relief all round!, one of the wardens claimed the nose cap which pleased my mother greatly, (but a bit of a disappointment to me!, as it would have been a great addition to my shrapnel collection!.)

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