The Blitz Read Free Page A

didn’t say anything for a moment. I put my ear right to the keyhole and heard her whisper that if we were, she hoped we’d all go together, and she wasn’t going to give in to threats from Hitler or Mrs Chambers, thank you. And that was that.
    So, most of this year, Tom and me have spent three mornings each week with Mrs Riley. She used to be a teacher until she retired. Mrs Riley’s very nice, but it’s not like school. For starters she has trouble staying awake a whole morning, and though she’s all right at reading and writing, I know more about geography than she does. Tom isn’t interested at all. It’s all Mrs Riley can do to keep him in his seat for ten minutes at a time, he’s such a shufflebottom. I read with him a bit each day and give him a few sums to do. The rest of the time I help Mum, and do as many paper rounds as I can for Mr Lineham. He owns the corner shop.
    So you see I miss school, and my friends. Especially when it’s raining like it is today!
    The same bloke walked Shirl home again last evening. Looks a bit old for her, if you ask me! And he’s got a moustache. I won’t ask Shirl if it tickles!

Saturday, 10th August
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    Yesterday was my birthday. I can’t quite believe I’m twelve. I keep saying, “Edie Benson is twelve years old!” to myself. I think it sounds much better than eleven, don’t you?
    Mind you, it was a funny start to a birthday. We were all in the Anderson half of Thursday night. The sirens went at nine in the evening and then again somewhere around midnight, so we were all a bit bleary-eyed by the morning. There’s still no bombs, leastways not that we’ve heard. I wonder what it’s going to be like when they do start falling?
    In Mum’s Woman’s Own the “Doctor’s Note” column says if you want to sleep at night you should eat lots of lettuce and nothing at all in the evenings. Oh, and cotton wool ear plugs are supposed to help too. I bet the Doctor doesn’t spend his nights with four other people in a hole the size of a rabbit hutch! Is that why rabbits eat lettuce? To help them sleep?
    There was a lovely surprise at tea-time. Maureen had got some leave and turned up on the doorstep with a big bunch of flowers for Mum, and a really nice hair-band for me. Fancy that! I’d been secretly hoping Frank would get home too, but at least he remembered to send a card to his “favourite not-so-little sister”.
    In the evening we all went off to the Lewisham Hippodrome to see Over the Rainbow , with me feeling very grown up about going out to the theatre of an evening. Even Dad managed to wangle out of a shift to come with us. Over the Rainbow is the Wizard of Oz story, just like the film with Judy Garland that everyone’s talking about. It was so funny and sad and beautiful, and even though we were sitting right up at the back it was a wonderful treat for a special day. Best of all, we got right through the evening without an air-raid warning, so well done Frank and the lads in the RAF. They must have scared the bombers away just for me. By the time we’d walked back to Summerfield Road we were all properly done for, what with the lack of sleep from the previous night.
    One of the things I miss about school is not being in plays. I’d really, really like to be Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz . Last night I just wanted to jump up on stage and sing along.

Sunday, 11th August
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    Today was Civil Defence Day in Lewisham, and of course Mum had to be on duty along with all the other wardens. Dad was working, and went out grumbling. They’d all been told to turn up with their shoes shined and their uniforms smartly pressed. “Someone important” was coming to inspect them. “Don’t they know there’s a war on?” he muttered. “We’ve got more than enough work to do, without standing around waiting for la-di-da