Diary of Phyllis Bethel of Topsham Devon

An account of her travels with her husband and her daughter Marion from Wiesbaden in Germany and the Second World war in Topsham Devon as written in her diaries between 1929 and 1953.

5th April 1941

Sirens before dark at 8.15pm followed very shortly by about 10 bangs, bombs on or near airport. Marion was reading in bed and thought it was thunder, i had my head out of sitting room window and called to daddy 'What a noise those Jerry are making over the airport" when the first two bangs occurred. I soon pulled my head in and got Marion into shelter. Daddy saw the big black shapes come back over nurse's house, Sunnyside, quite slow and very low. I am writing this at 9.00pm hoping they will not return, but planes can still be heard flying. at airport they fired red flaming onions at the Jerry bombers. Our fire engine just rushed up there. 9.20pm. All clear just sounding. We call Xmas bells or Clara and the other Moina wailing. Anthea went primroseing to Bridport and their van was searched for two escaped convicts from Dartmoor. She showed us a hen's egg, not much bigger than a marble!