17th September 1942

Thursday

Caught the train this morning.  It was 20 minutes late at Ardleigh, though whether delayed by enemy damage I don't know.  Heard the stationmaster speak of a farm fire which he saw when cycling back from Weeley last night.  At Colchester heard about incendiaries, “all over the town”.  Actually they fell in Greenstead Road, in the Avenue (some in the Bishop’s garden) and near Blackheath.  Small H.E.s fell in the Avenue, damaging a house next the Land Army Hostel, which had windows broken, and in Ipswich Road near the “Rifleman”, where another house had the front blown in. 

Spencer, who lives at Blackheath, says 2 H.E.s fell on the Wick behind his house, breaking his and other people’s windows.  One fragment of a bomb went through a waterproof coat which was hanging on a nail.  Saw Hervey Benham at lunch.  He gloomily prophesised heavier raids on the town in the near future.  He said the police were in quite a panic last night.  He cycled home to Fingringhoe while the attack was on.

Called at home, and found Mother nothing like so alarmed as I thought she would have been.