Blitzkrieg!

September 1940

Sunday 1st, '40
Dolphin depot

Perkins and Mrs. P "invited" me to church again this morning. Every Sunday I say no thank you and explain I'm not Catholic and they ask me again the following week. Can they not hear me? Perkins thinks I should go with them to make her mother happy because she doesn't like having a lodger who is C of E. I told Perkins to tell her mother to get herself a proper Catholic lodger because I'm not going to mass with them!

Monday 2nd , 1940
Dolphin

Sailed through driving test this morning without spilling a drop out of water bucket in back. Felt like celebrating until DSO Merchant hauled me into her office after LCC instructor stomped out saying Perkins should not have been put up for testing. Apparently, she drove the purpose-built Talbot right off the road. Merchant says it's my fault because I didn't report Perkins' driving record. Perkins sat in the chair beside me and didn't offer a word of support during the whole telling off. I was only trying to keep her out of trouble. Now I'm the one who catches it. Some friend!

Tuesday, 3rd, '40 Dolphin Square

Spent the day ferrying military officers to meetings in Dolphin motor car. Took a very important RAF man and his secretary to Downing Street for meeting with Himself, I presume. They worked away in the back and spoke in low voices. Had v serious faces. I kept glancing through the mirror wondering if they were discussing Blitzkrieg. Perhaps they were preparing a brief for Himself. Perhaps there's an invasion on the way. I'm not cleared to drive to No. 10 so we stopped at the top of Downing St. I opened the door for the RAF man and he smile and thanked me. Felt important for rest of day.
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Wednesday 4th, '40 Denbigh

Good news! Mrs. P plans to leave for in Welsh Valleys to stay with Cousin Doris for two weeks so Perkins and I will have the run of the house. Perkins is quite pleased but doesn't admit it. Life will be a dream without Mrs. P.


Thursday 5, 1940, Dolphin Square

Spent morning with head under bonnet of DXP learning way round engine. DXP is our issue ambulance until further notice. LCC man showed us how to top up battery with distilled water, pump up tyres to correct pressure and tighten wheel nuts. Hutch wanted to know why we weren't stripping engines like FANYs. LCC man said we should leave that to people who know what they're doing, to which Hutch replied, "And what would you suggest if you're in the middle of an air raid with a casualty and there are no people who know what they're doing?" LCC man didn't like this and changed subject. Hutch offered to teach us herself. Said it's easy.

Friday 6, '40
Dolphin Square

Perkins has a chap! His name is Henry Adams and he's a medical student at Westminster Hospital. He's been posted to Dolphin First Aid for emergency service. Seems a decent fellow - nice looking with good manners. Comes from a good family. Father's a doctor. Perkins doesn't call him her sweetheart but he must be, otherwise she wouldn't go out of her way to introduce us. He's classified medical and isn't in military service. Perkins was sure to say he wasn't one of those "bloody parasite conchies" Those were her exact words! I had no idea she talked that way about COs. She knows Pickering is one but says it's wrong even if he is a Quaker. I said they aren't supposed to fight because they're pacifists but Perkins thinks he should be called up like all the other boys.

Sept 7th Denbigh, '40

It's "Blisskrieg" with Mrs. P gone. Denbigh Pl House seems so big and airy. You don't have the feeling someone's trying to convert you. At this moment I'm in the back garden on the deck chair with a G n T in my hand enjoying the Indian summer. It's more like July than September. Spent morning cleaning house with Perkins after instructions arrived in post from the Welsh Valleys. When we were finished it got my camera out and had man across street take a picture of Perkins and me on step. Didn't mention Pickering to her. Hope it will blow over.

Perkins is in love with Henry, and things are moving quickly but there's one problem. He's C of E and Perkins doesn't think this will go down with her mother. Hasn't breathed a word of it so far. Doesn't know if he would consider converting - hasn't had nerve to ask. I told her to stop worrying and enjoy his company.

Later

It's arrived! Blitzkrieg is here outside, now. Docks burning, great mountains of smoke pouring into sky. Jerries buzzing overhead. It's here!

Later

Outside people are standing Denbigh, staring up at sky in the east. All the fire makes it look like like sunrise in the east but real sun is setting in the west at same time. Great plumes of orange and red smoke casting queer light over London. London seems small tonight.

Later

It stops and starts. Raiders come in waves. It's been going for hours. Air air is thick with smoke now. An enormous orange halo sits over docks and air smells of wax and timber and something sweet. No mustard seed though, not yet.

Later

We're in the cellar now listening to the sounds. Seem to be coming from all directions at once: whistles, drones, sharp claps and thundering howls. You can hear that ghastly chandelier of Mrs. P's upstairs jingling.
Perkins is calm. She's sitting in her chair with hands folded on her lap. Hasn't spoken a word since it began. She's like a doll, frozen to her chair. Wouldn't dare be afraid. That's not allowed.
I can't stop pacing or talking. Perkins doesn't hear a word.

Later
Electricity knocked out no. We have candles thanks to Perkins who had emergency supplies ready. She has stack of them but will only use two at a time. You must conserve. Light is dim - makes noise louder. My writing turning to hen's scratch. Can barely see the words coming out of pen.

Later…

Went out and saw Nazi planes flying over Thames. Look like dark shadows that glide in and out smoke. They drop bombs and disappear into more smoke. The air over the docks almost beautiful now with rich pinks and oranges flickering through the smoke.

Later

Terrible crashes getting closer. Must be midnight. Are they ever going to stop? I'm sure they're over Westminster now. Keep thinking of Shift A on Dolphin duty tonight. Wouldn't you know it? I've been waiting for months for Blitzkrieg and when it gets here, I'm stuck at home! Air's hot and sticky, and what is the sweet smell. Perfume?

Sunday 8th, 1940 Dolphin Square

Dolphin was heaving today. DXP went out in raids last night. Worked a song, according to Hartling and Cummings. They were called terrible incident in Victoria -made three runs to Westminster Hospital. Had everything - burns, broken bones, head trauma and abdominal injuries. Mortuary vans took away corpses. I've never seen a corpse. No one knows how many dead. Cummings said bombs hit after pub closings and people on pavements were crushed in falling debris.

Later

Did topography run to check hospital routes for new detours. Found a barricade set up at Victoria. Saw a long smoking trench in the middle of road. My first bombsite! I had to see more so I left Perkins in DXP and got my camera. Air was strong and acrid - tasted like burnt plaster. Everything covered in white plaster dust. Broken glass glistened in sun. A dozen or so engineers worked in trench, crawling through London clay, sorting through tangled mess of cables, twisted wires, broken pipes. I snapped some pictures, then walked up the road and took more of damaged buildings. Smoke still rising from of hole in roof of Victoria Station. That's when the warden snatched camera right out of my hand! So shocked that all I could do was watch as he ripped film right out of camera. My camera! Warden said it was illegal. What was illegal I asked? He said you aren't allowe to snap pictures of damage and before I could ask him to give my film back he ran off. Since when is it illegal to take a snap? No one told me! I'll report him.

Monday 9th, 1940 Stn 44

On Sussex St now, waiting on big evacuation. Air raid overhead -bombs dropping all over. Jerries zooming through smoke overhead. They're low. Too low. People took shelter in a vault and now it's flooding with water from broken main. Heavy Rescue thinks there's a UXB in wreckage. Gas mains are ruptured and burning in three or four places. So dangerous. Want to help but HR says we should to get residents out of neighbourhood.

Later

Took people to rest centre in Warwick Street school. Some told stories about trying to get shelter in vault when raid started. They were lucky ones. Some argued - didn't think there they were in danger. We had to force some out of their own houses. One old dear refused outright and had to be carried out in her armchair. She was shaking her pitchfork and threatening to use it on the first "Narzie" she spotted. God help that Narzie.

Later

Sussex St. shelterers were pulled out soaking, some close to drowning, but all alive. One of ours was a boy, six years old clinging to his dad. Couldn't get them apart so we carried both on one stretcher. They were cold and shaking. Perkins wrapped them in LAAS blankets and stayed with them on the way to hospital. The Heavy Rescue man told us the UXB was lodged in the wall of the vault right next to the boy. One wrong move…. Water was up to their necks by the time they were rescued. I didn't even get their names.

Tuesday 10th, 1940

Went back to Sussex St. Terrible scene, houses are now heaps of broken brick and smoking timber and there's a big gaping hole in the spot where the old dear with the pitchfork lived. Bomb exploded an hour after we left. Not sure if they detonated or if it went on its own. Where will old dear live, I wonder?

Later

Perkins thinks I'm filling my own head with misery from Sussex St. Thinks I won't be able to do my job if I carry pictures like that in my head.

Thursday 12th, 1940 Dolphin

In hateful mood today. Treated to a new torment last night - the non-stop bang bang bang of Ack Ack guns. Now we have Ack Acks, Moaning Minnies, crashing bombs, droning raiders, and clanging fire trucks. Night sky is alive with steams of green lights of Ack Ack fire snaking up through the darkness looking for a Jerry. Everyone cheered at first, happy to see us fighting back. Don't clap too soon, I say. When I see Ack Ack fire take Jerry planes out of sky then I'll give a cheer, but right now I wish they'd go away. We need to sleep or we'll end up raving lunatics and no one will be fit to fight.

Friday 13th, 1940 Dolphin Square

My unlucky day. Here are siren times for last night and today.

19:00- 6
7:35 - 8:30
9:45 - 14:00 .
They started again at 16 and are still going. It's 17:30. They are driving me mad!

Later

One of Pickering's Quakers bombed out of house and home in Stepney a few nights ago. Now desperate for a place to live. They were lucky. Family across street took a direct hit and all were killed. No Anderson shelters because there wasn't room in the back gardens. Why don't papers report this? And why are you telling us this, Mr. Wilfred Pickles on the BBC? Pickering is terribly upset.

I'm worried about Auntie down there by herself on the Somerset Levels. If the invasion comes from the south, she will be right in their path. I hope she isn't hearing these things. Must write and say we are holding up in London and tell her to get the pitchfork, just in case.

Saturday 14th, 1940 Dolphin Depot

Called to Queen Anne's Mansions last night for most serious incident yet. Big monster came sailing in. Cut the building in two, slicing through eleven storeys. Twelve ambulances responded but no casualties by some miracle! Residents were sheltering in corridors, not touched by the bomb. We ferried residents to rest centres. Demolition people think most would return to flats soon. Only twenty destroyed.
Took a couple of old dears to Dolphin First Aid and watched Henry Adams give them bandages. All they really needed was a nice cup of tea. Perkins made them two cups. She was so proud of Henry.

Moon's almost full again which means better light for blackout driving. And easy targets for Jerry.