The author's 80-year-old grandad, David, was born in 1940 and so is one of the few survivors of WWII that documented his experience. Living in Derbyshire, he often saw bomb ships on their way to Sheffield as it was a major industrial city. This is his experience.
Hardwick Hall, Chesterfield
During the Second World War, Hardwick Hall park in Chesterfield was used to train paratroops, particlulary the Polish. They built temporary buildings for them, but after the war had finish they were (and still are) abandoned.
David remembers cycling there from North Wingfield and playing 'soldiers'. They stood on tanks and walked through abandoned hospitals, all without their parents knowing!
Sutton-Scarsdale Hall, Chesterfield
David used to cycle to Sutton-Scarsdale Hall also in Chesterfield, although this one is completely a ruin. They used to explore old ground floors and basements and a graveyard which was said to be haunted. Years later, David and his wife Pat revisited the hall and whilst they were in a graveyard, someone through a stone at them. The rascal hid quickly, and the pair evacuated thinking the area was haunted!
Chesterfield
In WWII, German bombers went to bomb Sheffield as it was a big industrial city and would affect the rest of the country. When David and his family heard the engines of German planes (which sounded like zzz zzz zzz zzz), everyone had to rush into the air raid shelter, three houses away from David. It was partly underground and looked like below:
It was dark, smelly and scary with no light. If you needed to go to the toilet, you would have to rush out to a toilet outside if the planes weren’t to near.
One of David’s relatives lived in Oldtupton, near where a bomb landed in a field. It smashed all the windows of houses and buildings within a 1 mile radius, and formed a massive crater. It later turned into a pond.
Love David's account of the war years although I don't think he saw many 'bomb ships' rather bomber planes.