Brian Flook's Story |
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I was about seven years old. My Mum, Dad and brother Peter and I lived in Morden, Surrey. (Near Wimbledon) The first thing I remember is probably about 1940. Mum & Dad wanted to get my brother and me out of London. My grandfather lived in Cardiff, South Wales. He was a plumber. My grandad rode from Cardiff to Morden on his motorcycle and sidecar. The sidecar was a long open wooden box. Something like a coffin. It contained his plumber tools. He took my brother and me from Morden to Cardiff in this sidecar. Of course, we were wrapped in blankets. As we were young, Peter and I thought it was fun who the hell was Adolph
Hitler anyway. Peter and I returned to Morden. Then the London Blitz started. Adolph tried to get us again. The evacuation of kids from London then began. Peter and I with the name tags and boxes of sandwiches (like you all) were sent to Leicester. Of course, I did not know what the hell I was doing as I was so young. I do remember my Mum in tears, but I was not scared. We arrived in Leicester and along with dozens of other children were sent to a large hall. There various lovely people were sort of picking which London evacuees they would take. I remember a young couple coming up to Peter and me, and they said they could only take one. Peter aged about 10 said, "my Mum said my bother and I must be together." The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kerslake said OK and took us both. From then on
Peter was my hero. were wonderful people and were very good to us. Eventually, Mum Dad came to collect us and we all went
back home to Morden. up at night and had to go into our Anderson shelter in the garden. Then we went through a period when my father decided the safest place was under the staircase in the house. So Mum made up a bed under the staircase for Peter and me. Years later when I looked into that cupboard, I wondered how we fitted in there. in Morden one morning. I heard the sound of airplanes. A German ME 109 came over at tree top level being chased by an RAF Hawker Hurricane. They were so low I can remember seeing the shape of the German pilot and mud on the bottom of the plane. The Hurricane was firing its machine guns at the ME 109. My Dad rushed out and dragged me inside as he did so I heard the sound of some thing falling in the garden. Later we went outside and found a .303 bullet which must have come from the Hurricane. My father, a carpenter, made a wooden base for it and we kept it in the family for years. I still have it with me in Bermuda. As I write, I am looking at it. I remember going through the period of "Doodle Bugs". We soon learned that when the engine stopped it was best to go inside. It was strange, like a lot of kids in that era, I was never scared. We treated it all like a game. We didn't realize people all over the worked were going
through terrible times. Royal Military Police, went to Egypt and Cyprus. I was in Cyprus during the Eoka Trouble and the Suez Crisis.
They were busy times. in Fulham, South London. In 1959 I saw an advert about Police Officers being required for the Island of Bermuda in the middle of the Atlantic. I joined up and have worked and lived in Bermuda ever since. I married Jenny in 1969 and we have 2 grown sons. Of course, I am retired from the police now but I
keep busy.
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