Wednesday, November 11, 2020
It was V-E day in Paxton Road, Hockley Birmingham, England May 1945 I was just 4 years old. The residents of the street had a huge bonfire burning in the street just outside our house.Our house was just across the street from the house where Granny and Grandad Isham lived, Aunt Rene, then 19 years old , the youngest of 6 children, lived with them.
The residents of the street had made a full size paper mache statue of Hitler which was perched on top of the communal air raid shelter. Aunt Rene was carrying me , every one was laughing, singing and dancing. When it came time to lift Hitler and throw him onto the bonfire, Aunt Rene held me up so i could get a better view and witness him burning.
The next day while I was playing with other kids in smoldering ashes of the bonfire i picked up a hot brick and badly burned my fingers, I went running to Grans house where Aunt Rene soothed me and helped relieve the pain.
Shortly after I had to go into hospital with diphtheria, Aunt Rene and Uncle Newton, dressed up in his smart uniform, came to visit me and say goodbye because they were leaving next day to go to Canada.
I vividly remember , when about six years later, Aunt Rene bought Jeanette, Sandra and David home to visit Granny Isham and us. That was the last i saw them until I emigrated to Canada in the sixties.
