THE FORTE FAMILY DURING THE Blitz   

While several of my Uncles were deemed fit for active duty my Father was not, so he volunteered for Fire Watch Duty.

UNCLE TONY ON LEAVE WITH AUNTY PHYLLIS                                               

Air raid sirens dominated our lives.
The War presented a variety of experiences during our Formative    years. Our daily lives were organized by the grownups, around a mass of government rules and regulations.      

The Law forbade people to do many things. It classified them as fit to do or that, or not,   as they saw fit.
They issued us with ration books,  and identity cards, and conscripted us, or forced         us to take up an  occupation to help the war effort, whether we liked it or not,     generally not.

My family were left alone to get on with their   business, this was because ice-cream was     considered a food, and it's production was   encouraged however,  My uncle Morelli  (also an Ice-cream maker) was interned    for a short period of time.

INTERNMENT.  The whole block was requistioned during WW2 to form one of several internment camps in Douglas, Isle of Man  - it was surrounded by barbed wire from the promenade and adjacent buildings and used until 1944 to house Italian internees.

This is about the camp at Bournemouth

A description was given by Giovannelli.  (1914 )   S Camp was the Hotel Metropole...comprising only four houses, the Alexandra and Metropole Hotels,      Milne’s Waverley and Dodsworth’s, but attached to it, though outside the barbed      wire, was the prison for internees under-going special punishment ... It turned out        to be the stable used by the Douglas Corporation for the horses which in peace time to draw trams along the promenade from Derby Castle to the pier. It was an interesting prison, three feet wide and six long, with a manger at one end on which  you could neither sit nor lay, a small ventilator window and a cobbled floor which was always damp. There were eight of these stall-cells, and the end one was used as a lavatory, so the stink was quite a revelation.

[1941] THE Metropole Camp was a well-organised one. Inside, on the ground floor,   next to the gate outside which was the military headquarters, was the camp headquarters office, with the assembly room next to it where roll call was taken.     Then came the dining room which stretched right through from front to back of the house, the Alexandra Hotel. In the basement were the kitchens, a music room with        a piano, and correction room where recalcitrant internees were punished by order       of the House Council for any misdeeds which we did not wish to report to the military authorities; this was only used twice during my stay. There were also two extra  kitchens with gas cookers where internees were allowed to do private cooking if       they wished. Next to the correction room was the church, run by two internee priests from Kenya, where Mass was offered and confessions heard. On the ground floor of    the Metropole Hotel, next to the Alexandra, was the canteen, the general store and       a billiard room. Then came the hall, and next to it a school for French, English, Latin, German and Russian classes and the library, and then the dining room, which was    also used for lectures and sometimes for cabarets produced by the prisoners and for various indoor sports. In the basement was a bakery, the parcel post office and the kitchen. In the Waverley on the ground floor was a big recreation room where we     used to play bridge, poker and other card games, and another dining room. In the basement of this house was the barber’s shop, the carpenter’s shop, the welfare      office and an Italian elementary school which I ran for the sailors who could not        read or write even in their own language.

The first, second and third floors of all the houses were given over to bedrooms and bathrooms and toilets. The Alexandra had four bathrooms on each floor, the      Metropole three on each floor and the Waverley two on each floor. Most rooms were occupied by three men, some by only one, but two rooms were specially fitted by       the authorities with bunks for two families, one of six and one of eight men and boys who wished to be together. The last house, Dodsworths, was the infirmary. The back     of this camp was only a few yards from the spur of rockface below                           Little Switzerland, and a hundred yards up the cliff was a big quarry into which we were taken when there was an air raid.

EXETER AT WAR - THE FORTE FAMILY

We did face problems with some people. There was a certain degree of resentment about the success of the Forte family as a whole, having started from nothing.  And   also because of Italy's participation in the war on the Axis side. anti-Italian feelings were running high at that time, and several of our relations, some quite elderly,       were interned .  My Grandmother put an advertisement in the Express & echo to say that two of her sons had enlisted to fight in the Army, and others might be called to     do so at the appropriate time.
To avoid trouble, members of the family saw to it that things were kept as discreetly simple as possible. Everyone tried to avoid being gossiped about. And we all tried to behave properly, respectability was all at that time.

At this time the whole family lived in my Fathers house "Littoria"  because we had   been bombed out of South Street.

ANYONE REMEMBER TO FEED THE    BUDGIE?

THE MORRISON SHELTER          THIS CARTOON DEPICTS THE BRAVE ATTITUDE      THAT THE BRITISH HAD TOWARDS DANGER.  Our shelter was under the table in the front room at Littoria.    

John Anderson's original proposal was that the Anderson shelter should be erected indoors, but faced with the grisly picture of what might happen if the building   collapsed, a fire broke out, and the people inside the shelter were roasted, it was approved for outdoor use only.
In 1941, when wartime experience had been gained, an indoor shelter was brought  into use by John Anderson's successor at the Home Office, Herbert Morrison.
Using the Morrison shelter as a table.
The Morrison shelter was approximately 6 feet 6 inches (2m) long, 4 feet (1.2m) wide and 2 feet 6 inches (0.75m) high. When not in use as a shelter it could be used as a  table (see illustration) by temporarily removing the welded wire mesh sides.
Whilst the Anderson was constructed of 14 corrugated sheets, and required some digging to let it into the ground, the Morrison consisted of some 219 parts (not    including 48 nuts and bolts) and came with 3 tools with which to assemble it.
These shelters were distributed free to most people and over 500 000 had been distributed by November 1941.
The Morrison was extremely effective, if assembled correctly, and undoubtedly      saved many lives. 
 My most enduring memory is one of the nightly air raids. Sirens going off in the   middle of the night in the blackout, filled us all with fear or when the Sirens first warning growls slowly rose to it's howl, we knew it was a signal that we all had to quickly take cover under the stairs but sometimes we were placed in special metal cages under a table, which had been moved to the front room.  Here we made our   bed, and snuggled up close together. This was an adventure, although we knew it    was dangerous. For some reason we would whisper during the bombing, as if we    might be heard, and the Germans might arrange to have a bomb dropped on us.

Air raids were for a while, a nightly affair. We would hear the faint drone of the enemy bombers. This grew louder and louder, turning into an ever-increasing loud    "throbbing" noise. This noise was made by their engines, which had been set up in  such a way as to produce this effect. Then came the whistling noise made by the  bombs as they came down, this too had been arranged by the Germans, having strapped whistling devices to the bombs. . And the heavy "crump" as they exploded somewhere in our lovely Exeter. 

Here the picture shows Firefighters tackling a huge blaze in EXETER      High street at the height of the     bombing.

I remember it all so clearly. The sound of the enemy planes, the Searchlights,  the "Crump" of the bombs falling around us, all mixed up with  the noise of the      anti -aircraft guns firing. We made little gasping noises as the bombs exploded and  snuggled into each other for comfort and safety. 
The grown ups would say  " That sounded near the Gasworks" or, I hope so and so is     all right!       I think I was brave.  I remember the girls used to snivel a bit, but it      cannot have been very nice for them.  Especially when I wet myself.  My urine was famous for it's strength, and smell, and my good old pyjamas held a lot of the stuff.          

We were all united in fear when we were being bombed, with the grown ups pretending to be as brave as they could for our sakes. I remember always feeling protected and safe, but the grownups seemed vulnerable at times and got a little bit crotchety and nervous.  Later, the "All clear" siren would sound, and we would    emerge from the steel cage beneath the table, and  hastily be put to bed. There was usually only one raid each night, although there were exceptions.
It was believed that the German aircraft could see every speck of light on the ground from where they were up there in the night sky.  So we had to be mindful of the blackout curtains, or frames that were put up every night. Not a chink of light was allowed to show. If there were any light visible, there would be shouts from the           Air Raid Wardens in the road "PUT THAT LIGHT OUT".  These men felt very         important if they could catch someone out breaking the blackout regulations.
Should you show a chink of light on two consecutive nights, you might get a knock      on the door, and a lecture on how it was against the law, that you would be               reported, or you were told the enemy would drop a bomb down your chimney and     that would serve you right.

The main aircraft in use by the germans were the Stuka dive bomber

and the larger JU88 medium bomber

BAEDEKER  These air raids were known as "Baedeker" raids. [Baedeker was a     German mapmaker, and the Germans used his maps and updated them]. They were much the same as our own Ordnance Survey maps.

THIS IS AN ACTUAL BAEDECKER MAP OF EXETER DERIVED FROM AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY  BY CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT IN THE YEARS LEADING UP TO THE WAR

The Germans had, long before the war officially started, been photographing our    Cities with cameras hidden in their civil aircraft. The Germans had made maps of all our towns and Cities, and identified all the important key installations and landmarks as possible future targets.
Despite the noise and confusion and fears, life went on in Littoria.   

THE BLACK MARKET

Before the Second World War started Britain imported about 55 million tons of food       a year from other countries. Understandably, the German government did what they could to disrupt this trade. One of the main methods used by the Germans was to get their battleships and submarines to hunt down and sink British merchant vessels.      With imports of food declining, the British government decided to introduce a        system of rationing. This involved every householder registering with their local    shops. The shopkeeper was then provided with enough food for his or her registered customers.
In January, 1940, bacon, butter and sugar were rationed. This was followed by meat, fish, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereals, cheese, eggs, milk and canned fruit. The    food rationing system gave people the opportunity to obtain a balanced diet and as       a result the health of the nation improved during this period.
Other goods such as cigarettes and alcohol were never officially rationed, but were often in short supply. Some shopkeepers kept their limited stocks for their favourite customers. This created a great deal of bad feeling and it was not uncommon for shopkeepers to be reported to the Ministry of Food.
The trade in goods in violation of the official regulations became known as the black market. A secret staff at the Ministry of Food investigated attempts by people to deal with black marketeers. Parliament passed legislation which enabled the courts to impose fines of up to £500, with or without two years' imprisonment, plus three times the total capital involved in the transaction. Eventually around 900 inspectors were employed to make sure that the the statutory orders of the Ministry Food were       obeyed by customers, retailers and wholesalers. Investigators discovered that farmers and smallholders were the main source of producing food for the black market.
The Labour Party MP Joseph Clynes described the black market as "treason of the     very worse kind" and others in the House of Commons called for the government to introduce new punishments for this offence. As well as "long terms of penal             servitude" one called for the use of the cat-o'-nine-tails on the offenders.

Members of the family would be arriving home late from work or fire fighting duty,        or from some other mysterious rendezvous.
A lot of wheeling and dealing and Black Marketting went on at that time.  People        tried to make ends meet. So people would come and go. Perhaps they had been         out trying to get some petrol, or food, or nylons, or candlesor something. There was always much talk of parachute silk, I never saw any, but this was prized for wedding dresses etc.

Queues were the normal thing. Everything was rationed,        this was supposed to ensure that everybody go an equal     share of whatever was available.  Ration books were issued     to all, Man woman nad Child.  Without a ration book you   would starve, but then, there was the Black Market.  We   queued for everything. if a queue had formed you joined it, even if you didn't know what the queue was for. Everyone    kept on the good side of the butcher.  We thought if he liked us he might find an       extra little something or other. And a little something or other would `do very nicely thank you`.
Family intelligence of what was happening on the streets, or in the shops was very important. You didn't want to miss a bargain after all!. So, much time was spent exchanging information on what was happening  and where and who knew a man    who could get something  (for a price).
The family as a whole depended upon their shops in South Street and the ice-cream sales for an income. This was needed to support all the various Brothers and Sisters and and their ever-growing families.

DISASTER FOR OUR FAMILY, BUSINESS DESTROYED.

One night, during a particularly heavy air raid, some incendiary bombs   fell on shops in South Street and they were set on fire.  Being opposite to our  family’s restaurants, above which we had previously lived. The fires weakened these shops and they collapsed, and fell across the street onto our shops and destroyed them all completly.

This is the site (above) upon which once stood our Family shops No's 2 3 &4 South  Street Exeter.  Shops acroos the road were hit by incendiaries and collapsed across   the road setting our shops on fire.  After the War the government offered £7,500         War reparation compensation for property and land that today is worth millions.

Exeter had been erecting more Modern buildings from the early 1930's.

Our shops in South street underwent changes as my Grandfathers desire for different types of busines's changed.  Below is a picture of typical shops in South Street Exeter up until the late twenties, early thirties.

This watercolour is dated 1901,         but nothing     much changed  until    after the  First World  War.

This tinted drawing of Old houses in South Street 1855.           This would be   before my grandfather          came to Exeter         in the early 1890's.                          MOST OF THE HOUSES AND   SHOPS WERE  TIMBER FRAMED BUILINGS WITH LATHE AND   PLASTER WALLS.   FIRES COULD   SWEEP QUICKLY FROM ONE TO      ANOTHER

"LITTORIA", my Fathers   house at No2 Dunsford Gardens became pretty crowded at this time.         Apart from us, there was Grandma Pacifica, Aunty Mina, Uncle Tommy, Aunty louisa and Uncle Alfred       her boyfriend, and god    knows who else?   But I remember it as a happy     time, full of food smells, cigarette smoke, and        damp washing and pasta faciolla.  Aunty louisa was very beautiful by all accounts, with a sweet nature and friendly disposition, sadly        she got TB and she died.

Here is a photo of Aunty Louisa and others.   Louisa was    beautiful and vivacious young woman who died early through Tubercolosis. 

Outside of our house in Dunsford gardens was a broad swathe of  grass, this swept      all the way up to the top of the hill opposite the houses on Dunsford hill. This lent the area a special feel of being in the "Country", which they nearly were of course,       being one of the last houses then, before the actual countryside began. 
One day men came and erected huge galvanised steel water tanks right opposite       our house on the grass. this caused us much excitement. These were to be              emergency water tanks, to be used should the water mains fail during an air raid,         and our houses catch fire. At first some men began to use the tanks as their own         private swimming pools, but wire netting was placed over the top so that put a stop to that.
Another time  they came and painted the roadway Black all the way up Dunsford          hill.  This was, they claimed, because it was a light colour and reflected at night in        the moonlight, and was used by enemy bombers as a run in to bomb the City. Some     of the locals seemed to think that the road being white concrete was our fault.         (People were prepared to be silly or pompous at the drop of a hat). 

Another source of much public concern was the prominence of Haldon Belvedere. a magnificent white tower which had been erected on the highest ground overlooking Exeter.  There was talk of how the German Bombers used it to zero in on Exeter, so they wanted it demolished, which would have been a shame.
One night, during a raid, a house, about half way up Dunsford hill was hit by a bomb and reduced to rubble. All the grown ups went out to see what had happened and to see if they could help. They       were gone for ages. When they returned they said some people had been killed.        The bomb had hit the house and completely knocked it down but the houses either        side had not suffered any damage at all.
Sometimes during the daytime I would see dogfights between aircraft taking place         high above us. I could see as I looked up, there!  a mass of white streaks. These          streaks moved and changed shape. They weaved and made pretty patterns. It       looked as if they had been scratched on the pale blue of the sky, all mingled and "higgledy-piggledy".  

You could faintly hear the 'whine' and roars of the aeroplane engines as they flew about up there.          Often I could hear the faint "rat-at-at-tat's"of their guns, but I never saw any smoke or saw one crash.Exeter suffered terribly during the BLITZ.  Many of Exeters cherished landmarks were raized to the ground.         The Germans did not need to drop Explosive bombs   just Incendiary bombs.  Exeter was mostly a city of buildings built of Lathe & Plaster.Lathe & Plaster was a cheap and cheerful walling placed on structures of wooden frames.  Beautifully designed to burn quickly in cases of fire.Where our family shops once proudly stood     in South Street, the next morning was a smouldering Bomb site. 

The Council were determined to keep the city functioning as best it could, and teams   of men descended on each days new damage and cleared huge areas of debris  quickly and efficiently.Here is photograph of the site where once our businesses stood.We continued to go to school each day to The Palace Gate convent at the          bottom of South Street.  As we went on our way we surveyed the smouldering ruins which permeated the with the smell of smouldering wood.  Here and there a wisp        of smoke rose from the piles of rubble.The Grownups spoke of the Death of                  So-and-so or THEY GOT! that is the GERMANS of course, and then there would follow a vivid description of some building that had been hit or had a near miss.

Exeter Cathedral

Our beautiful Cathedral suffered damage to the side and         rear, but the main structure luckily escaped a direct hit in 1942.

An aerial view of our beautiful                  cathedral as it is today.

A view of the destruction to buildings   in the front of the cathedral through the remains of       a South street Church across the road from our Shops.