I joined the Royal Engineers in 1939 at the outbreak of WW2, in August 1940 my parents home in Randolph Road sustained slight damage by canon fire from a Messerschmitt as did some of the other homes and the gas works, my uncle received a broken leg,  I do not remember anyone being killed in the attack, I was told of the incident whilst overseas and that my parents were unhurt.

Again in June 1941 whilst in Scotland with my regiment I was informed that my parents home had been "hit by a bomb" that's all they could tell me and they did not know whether my family were alive or dead.  I was given a 72 hours compassionate leave and a rail pass to travel to Dover, when I got to Randolph Road it was utter chaos and devastation men were working and people were just wandering around.  I kept asking people if they new my family or of their whereabouts to no avail, I asked a warden who told me that most of the survivors had been taken to the Convent at Eastbrook Place, I ran from Union Road the 1 mile to the convent in a state of panic.

When I arrived at the convent there were dozens of people gathered in a state of shock when my father saw me it was the first and only time I ever saw him cry, he just said to me "it's all gone Walt it's all gone our home and everything in it has gone.  My parents were sill covered in soot and dust and this was more than 24 hours after the explosion.