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“This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Jan Hewett, a volunteer from ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Three Counties Action at the Glen Miller Concert, Twin Woods on behalf of Francis and Daphne Stradling and has been added to this site with his/her permission. The person fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.â€�

Francis Stradling /Daphne Stradling

Location Glastonbury

Civilian

Title ½ a lamp on the road to the birth of my daughter

I was born in a house commandeered as a nursing home. It was called Shalimar, and was in The Roman Way, Glastonbury. I was born on the 3rd January 1941. At the time they were bombing Bristol.
My father was in the AFS stationed at Bridgewater and worked a lot in Bristol. Bristol was heavily bombed during the war. On the night I was born it was bitterly cold and Bristol was alight. As they were putting the fires out the water froze into icicles.
My father cycled with ½ a light. (He was only allowed ½ a light) along black unlit roads to reach my mother. My mother was so scared by the horrendous noise of the bombing, the labour took three days and I was ½ strangled and not a pretty sight from the forceps for my father to behold.

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