Childhood Memories of the War - Douglas Matthew Mitchew

Was a child during the war, living in Plymouth - 17 stories in the collection, "The Child's War". Was five years old when the war began.

Ashbridge under Armed Guard. Devonport dockyard was the largest dockyard in Western Europe.

Talked about the war with brother, post-war - "How the hell do you forget being bombed".

Grew up on George Street - the Devonport 'slums'. Bombs dropped on the neighbourhood. '300,000' incendiary bombs were dropped in the area. They (he and his brothers) gathered these as 'trophies'. Douglas had three - some landed in the guttering and dropped onto brother's bed and in the courtyard. Stood them (the cans) on the mantlepiece as trophies, before they were taken away by the marshal (Air Raid Warden), who yelled at them; "What the hell are you doing?!!".

Brother, Harold, when 3 years old, was not allowed out during the war without his older brother - Harold had a 'tin bath', filled with shrapnel.

Douglas developed alopecia as a child due to the fear and stress of the war. Not evacuated as mother said: "If we are going to die, we'll die together".

Very few friends were evacuated - people originally sent to Plymouth as evacuees, but after sent to (the Brest) peninsula after the city became a target. There were apparently 250,000 living in the moors.

Admin for a Facebook group - Old Memories + Old Photographs of Plymouth & Surrounding Areas

Douglas Witchell - career as a Ward Charge Nurse in the hospital - was a member of the experimental unit. In 1959, opened the only ward in England for the treatment of psychopaths - then returned to Plymouth & Cornwall.

Went to school down the road - public school/high school - scholarship kid, 1945-50. Everyone else stayed in the dockyard.

The clearest memory of war is crying in an air raid shelter - (appears that the sound of an air raid hurts - the noise hurts because it's very noisy). Mothers held children close to give comfort, but also to receive it.

The house he lived in was hit by 3 incendiaries which did not ignite - lost slates and glass, but the house survived. Brothers all came back - lucky.

The noise of war generates great fear. Boy were scared, but would not admit it - lied our way through the war.

Never lose sight. Must remember.