Recollections of Luton Bombings

My father was at the bus stop in Luton and saw a V1 rocket (Doodlebug) coming over and heard it cut out. I was about six or seven years old. The V1 went overhead and exploded in a field about a mile from our house. When my father got home from work at George Kent Ltd. in Luton, he told us about it. The whole area was surrounded by soldiers, and we couldn't get near or collect souvenirs.

I was at school (Maidenhall Road School); maybe I was seven or eight at the time. Suddenly, there was an almighty bang and all the windows and doors flew open. The teacher promptly closed the windows and carried on with the lesson. The bomb landed in Biscot Road, Luton by Kommer Cars. It demolished the front half of the factory and the fronts of the houses opposite. Just before the blast, the canteen at the front of the factory had emptied as workers finished their break. There was a corner shop near the factory and a young lad was cleaning the front window of the shop. His remains were never found.

A few days before D-Day, I was living in Lewsey Road, Luton. One day, a huge column of military vehicles filled the road - a convoy of soldiers. We were very excited. I realised later in life that this must have been a convoy getting ready for the D-Day landing.