Elizabeth and Eric Thomas

The artefact that they have brought in is a print-out of the story that Elizabeth wrote before suffering from memory loss: Recollections of being brought up in London.

Eric shared a hand-written account of the early years of the war and his experiences.

Eric Thomas (b. 1930) was from a working-class cockney family, who lived opposite the Tower of London and London Bridge, near to the docks on the Thames. Eric had been evacuated, during the Phoney War period, to South Holmwood in Surrey, but went back to London, so lived through the Blitz with his brother, Brian, who was five years younger than Eric.

Eric remembers Russian Timber ships and Polish ships entering the Thames during the London Blitz. Eric specifically recalls the Thames being "on fire" with sugar warehouses being blown up. Eric said that when St Paul's was famously ringed with fire, he was nearly killed by the same bombing sequence, destroying his uncle's house and killed some neighbours. Eric recalled barrage balloons going up around London to stop low flying aircraft attacking buildings low-down and releasing bombs. In 1940, Eric witnessed a German plane flying low (or crashed, it was unclear) over London, and saw the Nazi swastikas on the plane and the German pilot's face in the cockpit.

In 1949, Eric joined the army himself: the 3rd King's Own Hussars. Eric spoke proudly about the regiment, detailing its long and rich history, as well as about Jewish insurgency against the Hussars during their posting to Mandate Palestine (before Eric joined). While posted in Berlin, Eric took a boat down canals with a friend, and took a wrong turn, ending up accidentally entering East Germany.

After leaving the army (c. 1951), Eric took a degree at the Royal College of Arts. Graduating in 1954, Eric received a first-class honours travelling scholarship and went to Italy for three months. Eric received a visiting day lectureship at St Martins and was later head of Graphics and Illustration of St Martins. Eric also had a visiting lectureship at the London College of Printing.