As it was such a big job to organize, lots of parents were not informed where the kids had been sent. Anita’s parents knew the town where she was, but did not know where she was staying. So her dad got on his bike and peddled about one hundred miles to that town to search for her, as he was so worried about his little girl. There were very few cars around in those days, so the push bike was the only way he could make the journey.



After making enquiries, her dad found her in a home with 11 other children. All these children were sharing one bedroom. The bedroom door was locked at night, and the children had to stay there until morning. Her Dad found a very upset little girl who he immediately took back home.

Understandably, a total blackout was imposed for all the buildings in London, and the police could fine any home-owner if the smallest crack of light could be seen at a window. Of course, no street lights were allowed, everywhere was pitch black at night, for any light at all would tell the German Pilots where the buildings were.

During the next few months, the bombing started each and every night. Anita and family would go into their Anderson Air Raid shelter, a corrugated iron building that was set in the ground so it would protect them from the bombs and shrapnel. This building was just enough to house four people. Of course the building would not be of much use if they were to suffer a direct hit by a bomb. Every night when the bombers came over, the sirens would sound, this told everyone it was time to get into the shelters.

Eventually, the nights were spent much more comfortably in a basement of a school with a hundred other families. Other people in London would go and sleep in the underground railway, as some of these stations were pretty deep underground. Those days, it was also against the law to go anywhere without your gas mask for it was felt the Germans would begin using poison gas.

As Germany were losing so many aircraft to the Allied Airforces they introduced the Buzz Bombs. These were called the V1 Rockets, and were pilotless planes loaded with bombs. The engines of these rockets were very loud, and everyone prayed they would keep going, for once the engine stopped the Buzz bomber would fall to the ground and explode. These things were terrible, for there was no warning at all that they were on their way. With the bombers at night the warnings came with the sirens. These things arrived at any time, day or night. It was impossible for people to spend all day and night underground so the bombers caused a lot of deaths. Hitler had tried daylight bombing but had suffered so many casualties, therefore, with the introduction of the Buzz bombers he did tremendous damage.

The next weapon introduced by the Germans to bomb London was the V2 rocket, it was more destructive than the V1. It was much faster in the air, it was silent, could travel much further, and carried a bigger load of bombs. It is well known, these rockets were the beginning of space travel.