ASKEW STREET 1940.....(My Dragon)
Wed, 2006-04-19 05:32
#1
ASKEW STREET 1940.....(My Dragon)
Interesting and well described story about child's experience of second world war, I like the end in the Synagogue, don't spoil it with the last two lines, maybe more on what it was like inside the synagogue would help, particulary as you had never been inside before, and in context of jews and the war.
Near the beginning, I don't think it's appropriate to say it was a "quirk of fate" the house was occupied by your grandparents...surely a normal occurence: It would have been a quirk of fate if the house had been bombed previously.
Did you see the John Boorman movie "Hope and Glory" on this subject? Strangely enough I took my old Dad, a WW2 veteran, to see it and he was upset saying it was in bad taste and making fun of something horrible.
AnneAdcock
Oh Chimpy, thanks for popping in, has it been two months already? There has already been a thread on this piece, which of course you'd know if you spent more than five minutes a month on ABC. Keep drinking the banana smoothies and we'll catch up again in couple of months when you can again flag a piece that everyone has already had a discussion about, you useless monkey.
Jingle
Thank you so much for the comments Chimpy and of course for the Cherry. I didn't see the film you mention but I do know that vereans often do get very iffy about the treatment of both Wars. My father-in-law who went through just about every battle in the first world war never ever spoke of it and savagely criticised those who did, for whatever reason. For my part I am able to look back with some detatchment, but I too feel that all due respect should always be paid to those didn't survive the wars wether in uniform or out of it. Re the two last lines...yes I take your point they probably are redundant; on the matter of the Synagogue...well if I may I would like to remind you that it was dark, we were all shaken up, and no lights were showing from the building. Add to that the fact we were ushered into the basement rather than the Synagogue itself and I was just eight years old. At that age too I was unaware that the Jews were being persecuted in Europe. I believe most adults were too. I had heard of the riots in Ridley Road where Moseley and his gang had caused a lot of trouble but my parents spoke disapprovingly of him and his antics. No...Jews at that time were for me the children that were excused religious services at school and who seemed to get more holidays than I did. But that was also true of Roman Catholics. Anyway again many thanks for comments and the Cherry, both are much appreciated.
Jingle
Thank you also for your posting AnneAdcock. You didn't say if you liked the piece, I hope you did.