Iain Cockshott
Cockshott, Ernest. “Biography” 2003. 20 April 2006.
- Stationed in Terneuzen, Holland and later St. Denys Belgium. S-top
- Supplied Dutch balloon barges used to protect shipping in the mouth of the river Scheldt. S-top
- Bought rare toys in Belgium, a tricycle, a doll, and a mechano set. The tricycle being rare because of the amount of metal in it. S-1/2
- Belgium was a Mechanical Transport and Light Repair Unit. S-top
- House on High Road Lee destroyed by bomb raid. S-1/3
- “During a daytime raid a plane dropped a stick of bombs and we had a direct hit, everything spewing out onto the roadway. It was sad to see everything we owned, especially joy’s lovely toys all mixed in with the rubble and the twisted tram lines, but at least they were away and safe whereas some poor soul who had run for the safety of our house had been killed.” S-1/4
- “Occasionally I did make the trip to Newport Pagnell but making the way across London was always dicey. The underground was packed with people sheltering from the raids, some stayed down there even during the daytime.” S-1/3
Cockshott, Iain A. Personal Interview. 23 April 2006.
- War Rations affected family life S-top
- House hit by a rocket S-3/4
- Stationed at an air balloon station S-1/2
- Worked as a uniform distributor S-1/3
- General moral of the English people rose during the war S-1/2
“Britian in the early years of world war two.” 8 Janurary 2001. British Broadcasting Company. 23 April 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/earlyyears_01.shtml
- The Home Guard was formed as part of the frantic preparations for the expected German onslaught. Many ordinary people rushed to join it, and many British civilians feared imminent gas and bombing attacks. People who are now adults tell of the excitement they felt as children, when the call came to donate railings and saucepans - which piled up on street corners - to provide iron for armaments, or when pillboxes (cement defenses for the Home Guard to use when resisting the expected German invasion) were put up in suburban parks. S-1/2
- Children, not understanding the deadly nature of the war, thrilled to the dogfights over their heads, and traded spent bullet and shrapnel collections in school playgrounds. Many of those children remember to this day how excited they were by the air war, and tell of the sight of destroyed planes and bodies. S-1/3
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Coad, Eva. “The Red Cross and GI’s: Wartime Memories of Leamington Spa.” 15 Janurary 2004. British Broadcasting Company. 23 April 2006. www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/48/a2205848.shtml
- “Carrots and potatoes came into their own during the war too. If what they say about carrots being good for the eyesight is true, then the wartime population must have had 20-20 vision all round as we used carrots grated up in cake and biscuit recipes and we were encouraged to drink carrot juice too. It was the same with potatoes.” S-1/3 top
- “As the war churned on rationing bit very deeply, and sometimes the rations were cut to incredibly small amounts, even to half an egg per person each week. That was a challenge to the shopkeeper!” S-top 1/3
De Villes, Jennifer. “Recollections 1939-1945(6).” 31 January 2006. British Broadcasting Company. 23 April 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/01/a9900001.shtml
- Sirens terrified people. S-half
- Impossible to black out a steel mill and other large targets S-1/2
- German bombers missed steel mill and hit shopping center instead, people were relieved. S-half
- “One V1 managed to come as far as us. It sounded like a motor bike, then cut out, and after a short silence there was an explosion. They used to say that if you heard the explosion it hadn't hit you! They were called 'doodle bugs'. As far as I know, we didn't have a V2, which gave no warning at all. I am struck now that as far as I can recollect we didn't discuss these events, either at school or with adults. It was absolute bliss when the Allied troops, after D-day, advanced up north and took the launch pads of these weapons.” S-top
- V1’s noisy & V2’s completely silent. S-half
- Air raid shelters built and shared by many houses. S-half
- Many slept in the London underground. S-half
Auckland Regional Council. 2004. 5 May 2006. http://www.arc.govt.nz/arc/environment/cultural-heritage/historic-places-in-regional-parks/shakespear-wwii-defences.cfm
- A pillbox which normally housed four to five men and several machines guns.
Aktion Reinhard Timeline 1945. 5 January 2006. 6 May 2006. http://www.deathcamps.org/reinhard/timeline/pic/194510.jpg
- A V2 rocket on its transportation device