Ramble with a Thrill
“Bomber Came Out of the Clouds”
A lady who was walking with a friend in a park towards a village in Kent described her experiences to the Kentish Times.
“A German bomber came out of the clouds. Immediately after anti-aircraft guns went into action, and we walked under the trees until we got to the main road. We decided to make for the village public-house, and order our lunch of shandy and bread and cheese – shandy is better than shrapnel and beer better than bombs!
While we were seated in the chimney corner there were several heavy thuds, which shook the whole building, and we were given some cotton wool to put in our ears. Everybody in the house seemed to be cheerful, and some were making jokes. When all was over we went down the road and saw ten craters in the fields, which the bombs had caused, five on one side of the road and five on the other.
Slates had been dislodged from the roofs of some cottages, and window frames were on the skew, although the glass was not broken. We were told that 40 chickens had been killed from concussion on a neighbouring estate.
As we were returning to the public-house for tea, we saw that the road along which we had walked before was strewn with shrapnel, and leaves knocked from the branches of chestnut trees. After tea we continued our ramble and walked home after an adventurous day’s ramble.”
[Source: Bromley& Kentish Times, 23rd August 1940, page 5]
