Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Air Raid Wardens
The Keeper of the Biscuit Tin, the first story in Welsh Cakes: Book of Short Stories, makes reference to Air Raid Wardens who were a very important part of Britain's defense in WW2. After dark they would patrol the streets and make sure there were no chinks in the blackouts. Our windows had to have tightly sealed blinds after dark so that no light showed through to attract enemy planes. If light did show through, the air raid warden would knowck on the door and make sure you corrected it.
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1 comment:
Judith,
I was born only months before the war ended, and therefore don't have actual memories of blacked-out windows and the patrols. However, my parents and eldest sister told me of those times, of the whining doodle-bug bombs that flew overhead, and would fall from the sky once the sound quit, and of how they'd head out to the air-raid shelter in the back yard.
Your post and The Keeper of the Biscuit Tin story serve to remind us that there are people elsewhere in the world who live under the ominous threat and dreadful conditions of war daily, even now.
Blessings,
Peter.
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