Memories of Brighton Bombing Raids

Arundel Road

By June Barron

I was born in 1935 and the family moved to Whitehawk around 1937.  I have vague memories of the bombing of St. Mark's School, Wilson's Laundry and I think White Street, and would like to know the day and time this raid happened. 

I went to Whitehawk Infants' School and we had to practise putting on a ghastly gas mask and I felt as though I was suffocating and used to put fingers under it below my chin to get some air!  One of our teacher's had a morbid sense of humour as one of the songs we used to sing in the 'underground' air raid shelter was "John Brown's Body Lies a Moulding in his Grave."

One sunny day mum was hanging out the washing when she heard a plane, as it was around 10am she thought it was one of our's and waved.  Shecould not see it because of the sun.  The next second she threw herself into the gooseberry bushes to evade a flurry of bullets, one chipping the door step.  She was furious because she not only was scratched but had to do her washing again.