INTERVIEW
was later to be known as ‘The beginning of the end of
the Second World War’. Mrs Thompson said: “My elder
brothers Michael and Ferdinand and sister Barbara had
become frightened by the sound of airplanes, which were
the British reconnaissance flights before the bombing
took place.
“My eldest brother Michael, who was 10, told my
mother he couldn’t stand it anymore, and it was time
to get out. As it happened his wisdom saved our lives.
The bombing of Dresden began on February 13, and
my mother told me bombs were falling all around. She
took us down into the cellar, and was then up all night
trying to put out fires with wet towels. She had seen it
all before in Berlin.
“The following morning when the bombing had
stopped, my mum decided we had to go. She put tins of
food and other pieces in the pram, and sat me on top.
My brothers and sister had the hand cart, and as we left
they found a huge unexploded bomb just outside the
door. If it had gone off we would have all been killed.
“As we left the apartment there was devastation all
around, and we were now refugees on the road. That
night Dresden was bombed again, and my mother
watched from afar. She described it as ‘an incredible
but horrendous sight’. It was like a fire storm. There
were flames everywhere and the sky was lit up by the
bombing. We were so fortunate that we were safe yet
again, but hundreds of thousands of other people had
lost their lives.”
As the family continued their escape they often had to
throw themselves into ditches on the side of the roads
as airplanes flew overhead. The tiny convoy stopped for
food wherever they could, and slept the same way, as
they headed for relatives in Eisenberg. They eventually
arrived in the town after several days of travel, and
stayed there for some time, feeling safe in a place that
was not a prime target.
As the war finally began drawing to a close the US
Army made their way to Eisenberg, and stayed there for
several months. Mrs Thompson’s mother was so fluent
in English she was able to chat to them. At the same
time her husband was urging her to get back to England
as soon as possible, and he would join the family when
the war had finished.
She continued: “After some time we were taken to the
Russian occupation forces zone of the town, and that
was when my mother made a brave decision to try to get
away. She was a strong and very determined person and
managed to get a message to her brother in England. He
travelled to Germany with a reconnaissance group, and
made arrangements for my mother to fly home in an
army transporter plane. My mum used to say her brother
was a bit like a British spy, but I never really knew.
“My mum and my two brothers got out first, and set
up a home for us to go to in Brixton. My sister and I
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