Screaming bombS and mauve ballS of fire in the Sky

Friday, September 6 A warning sounded at 8.37am. Anti-aircraft fire and a lot of planes seen overhead. A second alert sounded at 12.50pm.

A lot of anti-aircraft fire. Some people saw a single parachutist.

A third warning went at 5.55pm. Machine gun fire heard, but I saw no planes. The fourth warning was at 12.10am (Saturday morning) The noise of bombing was heard. Saturday, September 7 A warning went at 4.35pm. Many planes were seen.

I counted 30, 24 and 20 in three waves making for London. They met a terrific barrage.

At least two “screaming” bombs were dropped. We also saw two lots of three or four mauve balls of fire in the sky with trails of smoke behind them.

Some people saw two or three planes falling down with smoke pouring from them.

The radio said the Germans lost 103 planes today, while we lost 22, with nine pilots saved. Sunday, September 8 A warning sounded at 11.30am. Three or four screaming bombs were dropped, and we saw smoke rising from four different places afterwards.

At 2.45pm there was a terrific bang from the Red Rover way. It was an unexploded bomb going off.

One bomb was dropped by Miss Logan’s dugout, four in Teddy Bates’ orchard, two in the potato field above, and one in the road at the end of Clare Lane, which burst the water main and knocked a lot of the windows out at the mill.

One bomb scored a direct hit on Miss Martin’s house in Pine Toll.

One fell on the rail-line just opposite the electric plant at Kiln Barn.

Some more bombs fell at the Research Station severely damaging the greenhouses. Burbridge’s house also had bombs dropped on it.

West Malling had a worse time than we did.

A man of 80 died and a bomb fell on the rail-line causing all trains to be cancelled. Monday, September 9 There were four warnings today and some bombs were dropped at Ditton. The Germans lost 47 airplanes. We lost 13, with three pilots safe. Tuesday, September 10 Bombs were dropped at 5.25pm. No warning was given. There were warnings for two later raids: at 6.10pm and 9.12pm. Wednesday, September 11 A warning sounded at 3.15pm with very much anti-aircraft fire. Two Germans and one Englishman landed by parachute. A second warning sounded at 5.15pm and a third at 8.45pm There was a lot of fire coming from Chatham way. Thursday, September 12 A single raider came over at 9.45am. A second warning sounded at 4.50pm. We saw A/A shells bursting in the sky around a single raider. Intense anti-aircraft fire was heard from 9.20pm, and a third warning sounded at 10pm. The all-clear sounded at 11.15pm.