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~~ td Pete Shepherd (In recent photo with his wife) was just a young teen-ager in 1940 when the bombs rained down on Coventry, England. His memories are still vivid, 50 years lat- er. (see story) '©x=9 OLCO PETROLEUM PHONE 416-427-6526 TOLL FREE 1-800-263-2726 Serving Port Perry, Uxbridge & Blackstock Area for over 20 years *FUEL OIL * STOVE OIL * DIESEL OINGION Vida -TelcMalar-1alel=N A=] 24 HOUR EMERGENCY BURNER SERVICE «1 WILSON OIL BURNER SERVICE - 986-4964 or OLCO - Toll Free 1-800-263-2726 Another reason to get Invisible Fencing. Want to give your dog freedom. and safety too? Then call the number below for free information on Invisible fenong' Ten years and tens of thousands of dogs stand behind Invisible Fencing. It's vetennanon Because 0 i can? see it, Ivsible Fencing maintains the beauty of your property. It costs less than convenhonaol fenang. And it you move, # con move wath you. To leam all the other reasons to get Invisible Fenang, call $ Of South East Ontario (416) 797-2431 Former resident recalls German Blitz in 1940 Editor's Note: M.P. (Pete) Shepherd was a young teen-ager living in Coven- try, England, when the German "Blitz" hit the city the night of November 14, 1940. Today, 50 years later, the memories are still vivid. The following is an account of that awful night. Mr. Shepherd came to Canada in 1954, and is a former resident of Scugog. He now lives in Surrey, B.C The recent photo with this arti- cle shows Mr. Shepherd and his wife Sibyl. . by Pete Shepherd The battle of Britain brings back many memories, one of which stands out above all others. It was the night of November 14th, 1940, a night of horror and devastation for the industrial ci- ty of Coventry. My home was situated 2 miles from the city centre, and just a half mile from the standard Aero Factory, which had received a . direct hit during a daylight raid a few months earlier, the blast from this bombing had shattered all the windows of my home. Of all the air raids that Coven- try had, the night of November 14th was the most damaging and the longest, eleven hours of con- tinuous bombing. For me, it was the most terrifying experience of my life, it was 'Hell on Earth." The evening meal was over and my father had left to work the night shift, when the air raid sirens sounded their mournful alert. Foreboding Shortly after, I went outside to the back garden to watch the skies. As a young teenager I was fascinated by the searchlight beams as they scanned the skies, criss-crossing and circling, seek- ing the enemy aircraft, which became targets when caught in the beams, and then followed the flashes and explosions of the ack- ack guns. It was like a gigantic fire works display. This night was clear, not a cloud in the sky, there was a full moon, which lit up the city, it was almost as bright as daylight. I had a terrible feeling of foreboding; even my dog was unusually restless. The quiet of the night was sud- denly broken by the steady drone of enemy bombers. I thought "perhaps they are headed for Bir- mingham or maybe Wolverhamp- ton," I was soon to find out that Coventry was the target. Searchlights were scanning the skies, I saw bombers in forma- tion, the ack-ack guns were firing, and then came the spine tingling whistle of bombs as they fell, and then explosions and earth tremors. Pieces of shell shrapnel had fallen nearby, too close for com- fort, so I went back to my home to the safety of my makeshift bed under the stairwell. Unwisely, my family never us- ed the air raid shelters, and preferred the comfort of home. Scared Stiff By now, bombs were falling continuously with only an occa- sional lull, the fire trucks were coming and going, bells ringing, and firemen yelling. The property where my home stood was shared by the auxiliary fire service, in fact they had the greatest share, thankfully. I lay in bed listening to the noises of the night, the whistling of the bombs, the explosions, ever getting nearer, the noises from the fire hall, the occasional firing of ack-ack guns. The whole thing was a nightmare, I was scared stiff. As the night wore on I found myself counting the bombs, and found that they usually fell in series of six, a "stick" of bombs. I could tell the direction the bombs were falling, if I listened carefully. I heard the loud whistling of the first bomb, "This is going to be close' I thought. Sure enough, it landed in the next street. Five more bombs landed in that street, one being a direct hit on an air raid shelter. During all this, the ground shook, the house swayed, dishes were broken. I was shaking with fear, and had broken into a cold sweat. I thought of my father working at the main railway station unloading the mail, I wondered if he had been hurt, or even if he was alive.. "This is it" My thoughts were quickly shat- tered. A stick of bombs was fall- ing, I counted, "One, two, three," and then I knew the next bomb was going to hit really close. This time there was no whistling sound, instead a terrible roaring, rushing sound, instinctively I covered my head with the bedclothes and pillow, I thought "This is it, the end." The expol- sion was tremendous, the ground convulsed violently, plaster and debris rained down on me, and then there was deadly silence. Seconds later screaming, follow- ed by shouts 'Put the fire out," "See if there is anyone in the house." Someone was uncovering me, and then a fireman bent down and carrried me to safety. Another tended to my mother on the floor, stunned, still holding the knob off the back door handle. She had gone to open the door for the dog. My mother, sister and I were placed in an Anderson Air Raid Shelter, along with several in- jured firemen; five of their com- rades were killed that night. Many more bombs fell that night, the closest, luckily, did not | | | Be o-- Restaurant and Wining Lounge {_ @anadianand Butch Cuigine explode, it fell just 120 ft. away. Morale, however was quite high. The night and early morning was spent telling stories, jokes and the occasional sing-along. Dawn came and the bombing ceased eleven hours after it had started, the '"All Clear' sounded much to the relief of all. Air of Death I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, but instead I breathed the air of death and destruction, smoke, dust, the stench of broken sewer lines, and the rancid smell of mould. The bomb that had just barely missed my home had landed in the centre of a tee intersection, hitting a sewer and drainage pipe junction. This miraculously had caused the blast to go away from my home, just 60 ft. away. The neighbouring corner store and six houses opposite were just piles of rubble, the corner "Pub" and my home, although badly damaged were still standing, and in the bomb crater was a fire truck and pump trailer. Two firemen killed, and four people from the six homes killed. There were fires still burning all over the city. There were ex- plosions as cans blew up from the heat; ambulances and fire trucks were still racing around, bells ringing. Military vehicles were everywhere, soldiers digging for bodies, engineers looking for unexploded bombs. It was a tragic site. People Sobbing I discovered four unexploded bombs, including the one that fell close to my home during the night. I reported my finds to a soldier. One of my friends and I walked to the city centre offering to help where it was needed. People were on their hands and knees trying to uncover bodies and items of value. Others were sitting sobb- ing, some just sitting and staring, others completely bewildered and in shock. In contrast I met a small group of people singing, not with joy, but with relief, the horror was over, and they were alive. Later that day I was given the responsibility of rationing out water from a fire hydrant close to my home. I was to allow one bucket per person. My father eventually returned home later that day, unharmed except for some singed hair and minor burns on his hands. Looking back even now, I realize how lucky my family and I were to survive. Emiel's Place introduces Prime Rib Sunday FRESH PRIME RIB of BEEF with Yorkshire Pudding, cooked to your satisfaction. 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