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Bombers over Britain

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by elderberry (U13512571) on Wednesday, 2nd September 2009

  Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:56 GMT
  
  My mother says that she remembers German bombers coming over Britain on the day war was declared on Germany. Did that happen, so quickly? She also remembers 3rd September 1939 as being a Sunday, so she got that right.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Wednesday, 2nd September 2009

  The air raid sirens sounded, and aircraft were scrambled. It turned out to be a false alarm. I believe it was a passenger aircraft.

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• Message 3

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  Posted by Vizzer aka U_numbers (U2011621) on Wednesday, 2nd September 2009

  I've often suspected that the 'false alarm' was deliberately engineered by the government as a test - or even to demonstrate in a dramatic way to the public that the UK really was at war.
  
  Similar to this was the fact that children were being evacuated to the countryside while music halls, theatres and cinemas were forced to close.
  
  A fortnight later, however, the government relented and the places of entertainment were allowed to re-open while a good number of homesick children had also made their way home.

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Stoggler (U1647829) on Thursday, 3rd September 2009

  She also remembers 3rd September 1939 as being a Sunday, so she got that right. Β 
  
  Not sure the relevance of that point. Whenever something momentous happens, we remember how we learn of the them and what's happening on that day and those memories stand out much more than say any other random day (can your mother for example remember what day of the week 15 January 1957 was?).
  
  Sundays were unusual anyway when all the shops are closed and you don't work - it's a day that is different to the rest of the week and so sticks out. Add to that the hugely momentous day that Britain declares war on Germany, then of course she will remember that the 3rd September 1939 was a Sunday
  
  For similar reasons, I remember that Princess Di died on a Sunday, or that I remember the Great Storm of 1987 happened on a Thursday night/Friday morning as I got the next day off school - it sticks out as it's an usual event.

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• Message 5

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  Posted by Stoggler (U1647829) on Thursday, 3rd September 2009

  it sticks out as it's an usual event.Β 
  
  Or even an UNusual event...!!

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by elderberry (U13512571) on Thursday, 3rd September 2009

  Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:36 GMT, in reply to Stoggler in message 4
  
  Not sure the relevance of that point. Whenever something momentous happens, we remember how we learn of the them and what's happening on that dayΒ 
  
  Yes, well that was my point. She remembers hearing about the day war was declared in quite some detail, so I was surprised to hear about the bombers supposedly coming over that very day, and wondered what was happening. Thank you to the people here who have clarified the situation.

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• Message 7

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by NICK (U1182021) on Thursday, 3rd September 2009

  
  False alarms' they were not all false alarms' as
  most Towns and even villages were warned that the
  alarms and big Factories " Bulls"would be tested
  on a certain day and time and that these would
  be used as air -raid practices and the air -raid
  wardens had to go to there posts, and very early
  when these practices were put on' the Barrage
  Balloons would be raised and then lowered when
  the all clear sounded.
  

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 7.

  Posted by stalteriisok (U3212540) on Friday, 4th September 2009

  can you imagine what it was like that sunday 25 years after losing 1 million dead - when you are told you are going into a war again
  
  britain had been at war many times before - but it was always over there and had no civilian impact
  
  you are then told you are entering a conflict with a vicious enemy - and after guernica - you will very probably be rather tooooo involved
  
  i remember the sick feeling when it was obvious that we were involved in the Falklands
  
  st

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