Published in Windlesora 19 (2002)
© WLHG
Memories of six years of war come flooding back, a time when so many friendships were forged and so much camaraderie flourished. During those years I worked at Civil Defence Headquarters in Trinity Place. There was a map of Windsor showing where enemy bombs fell, together with parts of such bombs, on view at headquarters. There were 354 bombs shown on this map including high explosive bombs and oil and incendiary ones. Most of them fell in the Great Park, but some were in the town, and casualties and damage resulted. The Civil Defence services swung into action on each occasion with great efficiency. Windsor was lucky to escape concentrated attacks, although at one time it was feared that we would be the victims of the Baedeker Raids*. Thankfully this did not materialise.
I recall hurrying along Alexandra Road in the blackout to the accompaniment of the air raid siren with the searchlights probing the night sky, and the sound of guns from the Ack Ack Battery which was sited in the Park, spitting defiance at the German raiders. I was on my way to the Report and Control Centre underneath the Victoria Laundry, where volunteers manned the telephones on a rota basis, day and night. A First Aid Post was also in operation down there. It was from this Control Centre that the Civil Defence Services were despatched to any incident resulting from enemy action. Heads of the various CD Services were there in order to liaise with their members on these occasions.
There were, of course, lighter moments during those years. We had a flourishing social club in the Civil Defence, where we played table tennis and darts. I recall taking a portable gramophone there and some records, and we would have an impromptu dance. There was also a dramatic society, which put on several shows. Dances were held at the Castle Hotel and the White Hart (now the Harte and Garter). We had three cinemas in the town and the Theatre Royal had a splendid repertory company, which put on an excellent play each week. We had Salute the Soldier and Wings for Victory weeks, when many events were held, and during Wings for Victory week money was raised to buy a Spitfire. £5,000 was the target reached, as I remember.
One Saturday afternoon towards the end of the war my aunt and I were standing by the plate glass window of a shop in Peascod Street, when we heard a terrific explosion and the window cracked. Needless to say we moved pretty quickly, and heard soon after that a V1, known as a doodlebug, had fallen on the dust destructor in Dedworth. Thankfully there were no casualties, but damage was caused of course.
My aunt, Mrs Gear, was an excellent knitter, and along with several other ladies knitted for the Merchant Navy. I thought I would help in this way also and as I was not a good or quick knitter, I decided to knit a scarf. I started off with great enthusiasm, but it did not grow very fast, and about a year later my aunt said: ‘If you don’t hurry up with that scarf the war will be over, shall I finish it for you?’
Gratefully I handed it over to her expert hands and in the end, some Merchant Navy seaman did get a scarf to keep out some of the bitter weather through which theycontinually had to battle.
When VE Day dawned there was a great feeling of thankfulness. We had kept a bottle of champagne for this great day and it was opened and enjoyed by family and friends. The town was decorated and the Civil Defence Services took part in a parade and drumhead service on Castle Hill. Later on in the evening there was dancing on Bachelors’ Acre where crowds had congregated. It was a day which will linger in many people’s memories forever.
Joan Epps
Notes
*Germany made intensive bombing raids on some of Britain’s historic towns and they were called the Baedeker Raids because the places appeared to have been chosen from Baedeker’s Travel Guide.
Windsor Local History Group 