WW2 bomb discovery triggers painful memories

Joyce, who was twelve years old at the time of her fathers death, and brother Ron, who was fifteen, believe the two bombs were dropped simultaneously.

Joyce, now eighty two, said hearing about the discovery of the WW2 bomb in Buckhurst Road was a shock and the memories came flooding back.

She said: "It was rather a shock, my young son Neil rang to tell me and it all came flashing back. It bought back some vivid memories."

Back in September 1940, Joyce, who was one of eight children, had been evacuated and was living in St Albans. She hadn't seen her father for nearly two years.

Joyce said: "Me and my three sisters were evacuated to St Albans and my three younger brothers went to live in Stevenage."

However, older brother Ron, who was working in a bakery in Bexhill at the time, was to make the heartbreaking discovery that, whilst dashing to get into the air-raid shelte (built inside the garage at the house on Buckhurst Road) his dad, who was a plumber and an active member of the Home Guard, had sadly been killed.

Ron said: "My boss said I should go and see if dad was OK and I raced over to the house on Buckhurst Road where dad and his apprentice Mr Smith had been working. The house had suffered a direct hit. I started walking up the drive but a policeman stopped me and asked me where I was going, I said I was going to find my dad and he let me go up the drive, but I never did see my dad."

Jack Croft was the first person in Bexhill to be killed during WW2.

Ron then had the difficult task of breaking the sad news to his mum Grace.

Joyce said: "My mother wrote to the lady who I was staying with and she broke the news to me, it was a shock and it was awful not being home. I wrote to Mum and asked her if I could return home but the war was on and it was six months before I was allowed home."

She added: "I can't remember the injuries Mr Smith had. I can only remember loosing our dad."

Devastated and just sixteen years of age, Ron decided to seek revenge for loosing his dad by joining the armed forces.

He said: "I joined the Royal Marines to get my own back."

Ron, who lives in Sidley, served throughout the war, including being actively involved in D Day, and stayed in the Royal Marines for nine years. He was surprised to hear of the bomb discovered last week.

Ron said: "I was quite surprised as I thought only one bomb had been dropped at the time."

Joyce said: "Hearing about this other bomb has been a terrible shock, a sad one, I'm just glad that this other one has been found and can't harm anyone else."