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On the evening of Thursday.13th:March.1941 at 18-00hrs:(I was just 14:) the Air aid Sirens sounded: Meaning an attacck was anticipated: My Mother - Father and self proceeded to our Anderson Air-Raid Shelter situate at the back of our house, in the garden: At the bottom of our garden within an 80 feet below, Railway Cutting, was the Southern Railway line to Exeter: Within the hour the drone of bomber aircraft. being the Luftwaffe consisting of Dornier and Junkers,.88 Bombers, was heard. Passing overhead, on their way to Milford Haven South Wales to bomb the oil installations: Time passed: It was 00-00:hrs: Friday.14th.March1941!
There was silence! My Father suggested we take a chance {the signal by the sirens the raid was over, was not sounded-it was a lull in the raid!} and make for our house! To prepare sandwiches -and Tea: This was accomplished. Then my Father heard the drone of a plane! A straggler returning from the raid on Milford Haven. He rushed with me to the front door. There caught in the bright illumination of Search-lights was an enemy plane, being bombarded by anti-aircraft gunfire: My Father grabbed me by my hand and we ran out of the back door with Mother.We had just reached the safety of our shelter when the bomb burst with a deafening explosion: {I surmised the bomb aimer of the enemy Junkers.88 had observed the glint from the rail lines in the bright moon-light} of the Southern Railway system Deciding it was an enemy target, so dropped a stick of 5 Bombs, one family being killed trapped in the house and gassed by the fumes of gas, from a fractured gas main:} Debris was flung into the air by the blast, began to fall within seconds: Everything was silent. My Father went up the steps opened the door and said "Our house is in ruins" We were in shock. When the air -raid -sirens sounded the all clear at 1-00.a.m. my Father myself and Mother inspected the ruins caused by the blast from a 1,000 pounder bomb!Which had partially destroyed 3 other properties in that row of semi detached council houses: Kindly neighbours put me up and Mother and Father; We did not get much sleep that night of the 14th March: Later my Parents and self were accommodated however on the 21st.March:1941, a week later! Goering ordered the Lutwaffe to destroy Plymouth! Plymouth City Centre.Plymouth was razed to the ground after 14 nights of continuos bombing raids: 1,000 Citizens lost their lives. We escaped by the 'skin of out teeth' quite literally, could have been another statistic: 'But for the Grace of God go I' In the blitzing of Plymouth my parents lost all their posessions, kept with 300 other's in Charles Church which was fire bombed during the blitz: This memory will forever be imprinted within my mind: A lasting impresion of War!'Resurgam' We will rise again: A plaque found by an unknown Citizen, and placed over the doorway of St Andrews Church, in the Centre of Plymouth after the devastation caused by Goering's Air -Force!
Peter Campion {Now 79:}
N.B. Peculiarities of Blast! Later in the week my Parents and self returned to our ruined house to recover what possessions had not been destroyed. I climbed gingerly into the Crater. Lifting a bucket of preserved eggs in 'Isinglass' not one was damaged: Underneath was my Mother's Gold Watch still working! Our front gate was flung .5 of a mile into another street/road:

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