Denise Buchanan
My grandparents owned the Salutation Inn, which was situated near the roundabout at the bottom of London Road. The cellar was regularly used during bombing and particularly on the night of the Blitz.
It got so bad they sold the pub and moved to Northampton. My grandmother also owned the paper shop next door. My maternal grandmother lived in Paradise Street to the back and above of the sweetshop there - they were heavily targeted due to the close proximity of the Armstrong Siddley works where my father did his apprenticeship - the kinship of these days is well remembered, but the bombing was a dread to all.
My mother helped with the ambulance services as all women were expected to do their bit - she collected body parts after a raid to be laid in a church for relatives to view. Sad stories of a tragic time but mixed with the closeness of families and neighbours. The London Road club survived but "The Sally" and the sweetshop were pulled down to make way for the road and island.