DAD'S BIG BONFIRE
By L. E. Dickens

It was quite a cold day in January 1946, Mum and I, were in the sitting room of our house at Kingstones Cadley, directly facing the ammunition train sidings. As far as I can remember Dad had just gone back to work from lunch.

Mum called me to look out of the window "come and see Dads big bonfire" she said, he was hedging in the field in front of the house, as I walked towards the window she put her hand back and pushed me with such force that I landed up in the kitchen, at the same moment there was a huge explosion and all the windows were blown in

I wanted to see what had happened and went through to the sitting room, ammunition was exploding everywhere and shells were going over the roof. There was a huge thump on the front door, Mum opened it expecting to see Dad but no, it was Towser our by then terrified terrier dog, followed closely by an equally terrified Dad, who marshalled us back into the kitchen and positioned us behind the chimney piece, he then opened the back door to let the blast through, we were now able to see out into the back yard and watched shrapnel, bullets and shells all going over the house.There was a knock at the door, a painter working at the Kingstones Farm offered to take us to Marlborough, Mum and I ran out of the front door to get into a small car with a canvas hood, I got in first Mum quickly followed but before the driver could get in a second massive explosion blew the car on to it’s side, Dad and the driver managed to right the car, Mum and I got out, the driver got in and took off at quite a speed heading towards Marlborough, Dad, Mum and myself went back indoors with ammunition still flying over our heads. I don’t remember being frightened at all but I do remember thinking we are probably going to die. Dad was very calm then and Mum who was scared stiff of thunder, appeared calm tooThe explosions went on and then Mr. John Cook, my Dad’s employer stopped to pick us up and take us to Marlborough just as another massive explosion occurred, Mum and I went to Marlborough, Dad stayed behind to turn the cattle free into the fields so that if a barn caught fire they would not be trapped. As we got to the top of Postern Hill we saw the residents of Cadley Village being off loaded from Army lorries to the Army camp there. We stayed with family at St. Martins.

When we went home two or three days later the house seemed very cold with no windows, open doors, and a severe lack of slates on the roof. For weeks after the Army patrolled all the fields and set off clumps of ammunition they found in them. Every time his happened Towser our dog and Teddy the farm terrier would shoot under the matted and long coat of Rover the Old English Sheepdog, all three shaking like jellies.The papers reported severed limbs being found in the fields, my Dad said it meant limbs of trees when I asked, it was only in later years I understood.

 After a month the War Department came round to ask if we had any claims we wished to make. Dad took them into the pantry and showed them a ham from our own pig, it had three bits of glass showing in the meat, oh no said the Officer you can’t eat that, and we were given £3.00 for it, he asked Dad if he would dispose of it. After he had gone Dad took out the carefully placed bits of glass, and we had good thick fat ham rashers for weeks.

Our neighbour said his chair leg had been broken in an upstairs back bedroom, he also got paid. Someone down in the village claimed for an alarm clock which had been broken for years, they too were compensated. Yes, there were some very odd claims but they all got paid.

Even today large pieces of twisted railway track are to be found thrown into hedgerows, a reminder of a day I will always remember living less than a quarter of a mile away from the explosion.

The explosion site is now said to be haunted, my own husband having heard people talking as he worked there on a farm.

Copyright L.E. Dickens 2000. not to be reproduced without permission.