- Contributed by听
- scotsscribes
- People in story:听
- Bill Owens
- Location of story:听
- Thetford - London - Edinburgh
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4025431
- Contributed on:听
- 07 May 2005
In February 1945 I saw an advert for volunteers to
work in Thetford Forest as part of the War effort.
This appealed to me as I was awaiting 'call-up'.
I worked in the Forest for just over two months and was paid 5/- per week and I soon ran out of money so on the eighth of May 1945 I left there and made my way to London en route to Edinburgh.
When I arrived in Piccadilly Circus, not aware of the actual end of the war, I was utterly amazed to find the great crowds of people, now so familiar to us from Newsreels but then absolutely overwhelming to one more used to the solitude of the Forest.
I joined in the singing and dancing until about 10 pm when I made my way to Kings Cross and boarded the night train to Edinburgh and stood in the corridor for the next nine hours utterly entranced by the sight of bonfires in every town and village we passed.
This proved to be one of my enduring memories and whilst it may seem trivial to others, it spelt out that I had survived the War
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