Childhood memories of wartime in Coventry

His father worked in a factory that made wings for aircrafts. They lived in a village outside of Coventry and had a generator in the garden in the days before they were connected to the National Grid. They were the only family in the area to have a telephone, so they used to leave the back door open for neighbours to use it.

They were issued with gas masks, but never had to use them. When there was a major air raid in Coventry, the face of one of their clocks cracked. They never had it replaced as a way of remembering that night. His aunt, Marjory, cycled away with Coventry in flames behind her.