The night the Nazis set fire to my bed
In 1941, 15-year-old JEAN ATKINSON was living with her family in Newcastle. Her experience of the Blitz is both immediate and personal and which she vividly describes in a letter dated 80 years ago on Thursday, April 15, 1941, and researched by JOHN SADLER
“Can you imagine the scene? There were about 30 incendiaries round our street, all blazing, the searchlights, the ack-ack fire and a full moon Jean Atkinson
THE siren went on Wednesday night at about 12 o’clock and we got up. The barrage was pretty heavy and continuous until about 3.30am, we were so tired that we decided to go to bed.
I kept my trousers on (Jack’s) and we lay down, we hadn’t been in bed more than five minutes when our guns (they’re just past the Silver Lonnen) started to go off again. Can you imagine the noise of two 3.7 inch ack-ack going off simultaneously?
Why we stayed in bed I don’t know, but we did and, as the planes got nearer I got that horrible cold feeling all over. The guns stopped and the planes(s) seemed to come lower but I never imagined for one moment that they would drop anything because we have often had Jerries overhead and they’ve never dropped anything.
The plane came lower and then I saw a huge flash outside of my window (I don’t have a blackout) and then, a big white flash in my room. Something hit the bed, a bit of the ceiling hit my head and I jumped up and as I scrambled out of bed I caught my foot on something red hot. I gave a yell and shouted to Ma and Pa that there was an incendiary on my bed.
I rushed out and shut my bedroom door. I grabbed my slippers from the dining room because I knew I’d burnt my foot and I ran for the stirrup pump. I was clad in only my pyjamas, trousers, slippers and a woollen shawl.
I hesitated on the back step thinking that someone might see me but I forgot my modesty and gave a dash for Watsons where the stirrup pump was. Can you imagine the scene? There were about 30 incendiaries round our street, all blazing, the searchlights, the ack-ack fire and a full moon.
I dragged the stirrup pump into the house, and by this time, Dad had put half a bucket of sand on the bed. I took the hose into the bedroom while Pop pumped the water and man ran for more water.
The whole bed was on fire (for the bomb had landed in the middle of the bed). I knelt down and concentrated the jet on the flames as demonstrated in the films. The smoke was terrible and I had to have a wet rag on my face. This entire time Dad had been seeking more sand and mum had been using the pump.
After about five minutes Dad took over the hose and I had a little try at the pump. We had the fire out in about ten minutes except for the mattress smouldering.
By this time, the whole house was full of choking black smoke and a few men had come to see if everything was alright. Mr Hare put a burn dressing on my foot and then I went outside and carried a sandbag up to Whittington Grove where there was another fire.
The ‘All-Clear’ went at just 5 o’clock; only an hour after the bombs had been dropped. We had a cup of tea and I went to bed (the boys’ bed). Mine was wholly gutted, all the bedclothes being ruined. All of my underclothing was burnt because I had them under the eiderdown. On top of this, my dressinggown which was on the bottom of the bed was burnt.
I didn’t sleep much because so many people came to view the damage.
■ Jean had four brothers, all of whom saw service during and after the war. She herself became a nurse and finished her career as head of District Nursing Services for Newcastle West and North.