- Contributed byÌý
- ebarnwell
- People in story:Ìý
- Ronald Henry Barnwell
- Location of story:Ìý
- London, England
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A5614977
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 08 September 2005
My father, Ronald Barnwell, dictated the story below to me and I entered it on to this site for him.
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I lived in Wood Green, North London and it was my 16th birthday on 3rd Sept 1939. To celebrate the occasion two friends, Bob Hobbs and Ken Hugo and I cycled to Alexandra Palace to go boating.
Alexandra Palace is a high point and affords magnificent views over London. While we were boating on the lake, war was declared at 11am and sirens rang out. It was an amazing sight to see barrage balloons rising up all over the city in every direction. It is something I have never forgotten and would loved to have had a camera with me at the time.
Ken, Bob and I were all Air raid Precaution (ARP) Messengers and we swiftly set off back to the control centre, which was the Town Hall in Wood Green. When we arrived there was a state of panic, as several of the female telephonists had fainted and felt unwell.
We had a room with camp beds in the Town Hall where we slept when on duty. When we were not actively doing something we played table tennis or played cards. We did all this while holding down jobs at the same time. I had to get up early to do a milk round, before cycling 8 miles to work each day. It was all good fun and we enjoyed it as an adventure. We were of course, eventually conscripted for War Service.
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