By Arthur Lappage

Photo from WRVS Heritage Plus Archive

Crawley Memorial Gardens, 9th November 2007

Photo from WRVS Heritage Plus Archive

Crawley Veterans Oral History Group Memorial Event - 9th November 2007

Ladies & Gentlemen

You may have already understood: we old codgers have been meeting together for the last nine weeks, remembering out thoughts and feelings of the war years 1939-1945 and afterwards.

Remembering events during those years we had almost forgotten, and even wished we had, in co-operation with the WRVS, in order to progress their adopted Heritage project of 'listening' and recording our memories and thoughts of that period - before time begins to eradicate the opportunity to do so.

Already so many other stories, pleasant and otherwise, have now been lost for ever, because their would-be tellers are no longer with us. Tales of deprivation and inhumanity towards man are well recorded in libraries.

War youth

It has been said, by others, that we, of my extended age group had been robbed of our youth, we had to grow up quickly, there was no guarantee of a tomorrow, the only promise we were given was that by Winston Churchill, the great prime minister of that time, that out future would be of "blood, sweat and tears"

During the blackout

The total blackout of houses, premises and streets, together with shortages of food & essential commodities made lives dull for us all. When bombing and serious destruction started, life seemed just divided between going to work, air defence duties and sheltering from the ravages of air warfare.

The long period of darkness during the winter months meant that the 'all clear' siren would sound just before leaving for work in the morning, and the 'take cover' warning could have been made before arriving home in the early evening.

During the summer months the periods of taking cover were of course much shorter.

Catching up on the news

It was delightful to enjoy 'Double British Summertime' when, on a perfect evening neighbours would remain out of doors talking and discussing the latest news and information of those known people serving in the forces until daylight soon began to fade just before midnight when 'Moaning Minnie' would be expected to sound again.

Eventually many would collect their most valuable possesions and disappear to the shelters or into the London Underground tube stations. While others unhappy with the continual routine of sheltering, were content with going to bed, partly dressed for a quick move to the ground floor if the raid became serious.

Another generation

Occasionally, my thoughts turn to the plight of our dear parents during these terrible days of the second world war, they had only enjoyed 21 years of peace, since the start of the First World War, just sufficient time to provide another generation of combatants needed for the previous conflict to be fought all over again.

We were raised by our parents under the shadow of the first world war, for us it was normal to see limbless men begging or selling matches or bootlaces to gather some means to survive.

What is Remembrance?

Remembrance is the outcome of searching one's mind to recall something or somebody, that time has partly made out of focus, but which in the past was real and of significance in one's memory and life.

We, like all old soldiers will soon fade away but behind us there will be other veterans of more recent wars and troubles, like the Falklands, Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Please do not forget or ignore them, they deserve your gratitude.

Thank you

Arthur Lappage.