My Mother, the same Mantua that is in my Novel, Everlasting Lies.
End of World War 11.
One of my happiest memories with my devoted mother was outside the colossal Buckingham Palace on Tuesday May 8th 1945 at the celebration of the end of WWII.
Mummy and I had traveled by steam train from Brentwood to London, which was my first time on a train. I was fascinated by “chug chug” of the engine which surprised me, even though I had many stories read to me about trains ,when me and Mommy where cowering under the stairs during the many air raids we endured. Who would have thought that these sounds were true? The train was quite frightening to me as I was a small child unaccustomed to being in crowds. So many people travelled to celebrate and me standing below most peoples hips squished and unnoticed by most . I clasp my mother’s hand tightly. I know she was excited and happy, but I had no idea why!
Since my Dad was in the army we didn’t see him very often. Mummy and I had spent so much time alone since I was born when she was only 20. Her responsibilities for us both during the air raids must have been very terrifying, as we were in the direct path of the assault on London. Even to this day I remember the sound of the doodlebugs. I still admit to the goose bumps on my arms as I listened to the sound of the doodlebugs, knowing that as long as we could hear them, we were safe.
The train journey was hot and steamy, as it was a beautiful sunny morning. At every stop more and more people crammed onto the train. The noise of people laughing and singing “Roll out the Barrel” was deafening but it was nothing to what I was to experience later in the day.
The train arrived in Liverpool Street Station and the crowds spilled out onto the platform and became a heaving mass of humanity. Not in a alarming way but not one you could resist until we poured out on the street, melting into thousands of people already walking.
The London landscape was very weird and wonderful to me…tall gray buildings, some standing alone amid rubble, blacked by soot . There had been a constant assault by the Germans on our beloved capital. Many, many derelict buildings standing partly there but it seemed with their heart was missing, the sun causing grotesque shadows that made me see giants and evil.
As if by magic the crowds moved as one, passing streets where people were dancing, singing, eating and drinking, which looked like a lot of fun. People wrapped in Union Jacks, our flag. I even saw dogs that has flags wrapped around them. Already, I was tired but my mother was determined! She somehow maneuvered us to a staircase where thousands of people were going down the stairs into the bowels of the earth. I hesitated but the crowds surged forward pushing us deeper and deeper until we arrived on a platform. I was about to experience my first underground train journey. I knew that the train was coming as the ground beneath my feet began shaking and cool air was being pushed out of the large black cavern ahead of the train. Once on the train, someone gave my mother a seat and we could both sit down.
We were on the train to Green Park station, I remember walking out onto the sunny street with a huge park across the street. Music was blasting out of loud speakers. But my dear mother was intent upon getting us as close as possible to the palace. I now believe, that she wanted to be sure her only daughter, me, experienced this moment in time.
We walked along the park with its tall trees. Other people shuffled along with us, one song that they kept singing was “Rule Britannia’” waving their flags energetically, “Britain never,never never shall be slaves.”
Slowly we moved into a street called The Mall, thousands of people were here but somehow my mother managed to keep squeezing us forward. There was this huge golden statue, shaking my mothers hand hard I pointed to this. My mother smiled and told me it was Queen Victoria’s Memorial and the golden figure on the top was a representation of victory and that if I looked carefully I would see Buckingham Palace behind.As we continued to press forward the loud speakers started to crackle and a hush came over the crowd and a very familiar voice was heard.
It was that of Winston Churchill declaring peace... “Unconditional surrender....brief period of rejoicing....Advance Britannia, long live the cause of freedom GOD SAVE THE KING. ” with this the crowd erupted, shouting,laughing, crying and singing, ‘for he’s a jolly good fellow.’
My mother pushed us closer to Buckingham Palace, this huge, grey formidable building. We passed the statue of Victory shining in the afternoon sunlight, with people dancing in the water. I knew as my mother’s eyes glistened with the tears that were on the brink of rolling down her face that this moment was special, she had this wonderful smile and look of hope on her face, that I had never seen before. She clasped my hand that was so gentle rather than fearful and I had never felt it this way before. The crowd started to call,”We want the King...we want the Queen.”
Never did I believe that I would see our beloved King George and Queen Elizabeth. The doors on the balcony started to move, the crowds screamed and jumped. Some stranger lifted me onto his shoulders so I could embrace this moment, as out stepped the King and Queen with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret to the cheers of the people standing outside and in all the streets around. That day they apparently made eight appearances on the balcony and were accompanied by Winston Churchill later in the day
The journey home I do not remember. But this is one of my strongest memories, seeing my mother in this blissful state that I had not seen in my lifetime and this memory has stayed with me long after the principal character, my mother died. At the time of the war ending she was 25 and had lived on her own with the responsibility of me during all the raids on London.
One of my happiest memories with my devoted mother was outside the colossal Buckingham Palace on Tuesday May 8th 1945 at the celebration of the end of WWII.
Mummy and I had traveled by steam train from Brentwood to London, which was my first time on a train. I was fascinated by “chug chug” of the engine which surprised me, even though I had many stories read to me about trains ,when me and Mommy where cowering under the stairs during the many air raids we endured. Who would have thought that these sounds were true? The train was quite frightening to me as I was a small child unaccustomed to being in crowds. So many people travelled to celebrate and me standing below most peoples hips squished and unnoticed by most . I clasp my mother’s hand tightly. I know she was excited and happy, but I had no idea why!
Since my Dad was in the army we didn’t see him very often. Mummy and I had spent so much time alone since I was born when she was only 20. Her responsibilities for us both during the air raids must have been very terrifying, as we were in the direct path of the assault on London. Even to this day I remember the sound of the doodlebugs. I still admit to the goose bumps on my arms as I listened to the sound of the doodlebugs, knowing that as long as we could hear them, we were safe.
The train journey was hot and steamy, as it was a beautiful sunny morning. At every stop more and more people crammed onto the train. The noise of people laughing and singing “Roll out the Barrel” was deafening but it was nothing to what I was to experience later in the day.
The train arrived in Liverpool Street Station and the crowds spilled out onto the platform and became a heaving mass of humanity. Not in a alarming way but not one you could resist until we poured out on the street, melting into thousands of people already walking.
The London landscape was very weird and wonderful to me…tall gray buildings, some standing alone amid rubble, blacked by soot . There had been a constant assault by the Germans on our beloved capital. Many, many derelict buildings standing partly there but it seemed with their heart was missing, the sun causing grotesque shadows that made me see giants and evil.
As if by magic the crowds moved as one, passing streets where people were dancing, singing, eating and drinking, which looked like a lot of fun. People wrapped in Union Jacks, our flag. I even saw dogs that has flags wrapped around them. Already, I was tired but my mother was determined! She somehow maneuvered us to a staircase where thousands of people were going down the stairs into the bowels of the earth. I hesitated but the crowds surged forward pushing us deeper and deeper until we arrived on a platform. I was about to experience my first underground train journey. I knew that the train was coming as the ground beneath my feet began shaking and cool air was being pushed out of the large black cavern ahead of the train. Once on the train, someone gave my mother a seat and we could both sit down.
We were on the train to Green Park station, I remember walking out onto the sunny street with a huge park across the street. Music was blasting out of loud speakers. But my dear mother was intent upon getting us as close as possible to the palace. I now believe, that she wanted to be sure her only daughter, me, experienced this moment in time.
We walked along the park with its tall trees. Other people shuffled along with us, one song that they kept singing was “Rule Britannia’” waving their flags energetically, “Britain never,never never shall be slaves.”
Slowly we moved into a street called The Mall, thousands of people were here but somehow my mother managed to keep squeezing us forward. There was this huge golden statue, shaking my mothers hand hard I pointed to this. My mother smiled and told me it was Queen Victoria’s Memorial and the golden figure on the top was a representation of victory and that if I looked carefully I would see Buckingham Palace behind.As we continued to press forward the loud speakers started to crackle and a hush came over the crowd and a very familiar voice was heard.
It was that of Winston Churchill declaring peace... “Unconditional surrender....brief period of rejoicing....Advance Britannia, long live the cause of freedom GOD SAVE THE KING. ” with this the crowd erupted, shouting,laughing, crying and singing, ‘for he’s a jolly good fellow.’
My mother pushed us closer to Buckingham Palace, this huge, grey formidable building. We passed the statue of Victory shining in the afternoon sunlight, with people dancing in the water. I knew as my mother’s eyes glistened with the tears that were on the brink of rolling down her face that this moment was special, she had this wonderful smile and look of hope on her face, that I had never seen before. She clasped my hand that was so gentle rather than fearful and I had never felt it this way before. The crowd started to call,”We want the King...we want the Queen.”
Never did I believe that I would see our beloved King George and Queen Elizabeth. The doors on the balcony started to move, the crowds screamed and jumped. Some stranger lifted me onto his shoulders so I could embrace this moment, as out stepped the King and Queen with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret to the cheers of the people standing outside and in all the streets around. That day they apparently made eight appearances on the balcony and were accompanied by Winston Churchill later in the day
The journey home I do not remember. But this is one of my strongest memories, seeing my mother in this blissful state that I had not seen in my lifetime and this memory has stayed with me long after the principal character, my mother died. At the time of the war ending she was 25 and had lived on her own with the responsibility of me during all the raids on London.
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