weapons. It was during one such incident, on Westcombe Park Road, Greenwich, that my grandmother, her sister and my toddler-aged father narrowly escaped death at the hands of a Luftwaffe pilot. Walking down the street toward home, in broad daylight, they heard the plane approaching, and saw it move along the street, opening fire on pedestrians as it flew. Running for their children’s lives, my grandmother and her sister ducked into the ruins of a previously bombed out residence - hiding behind a temporary water tank, designed to help manage fires caused by incendiary bombs. They remained there, traumatised with their offspring, until they were able to convince themselves that the coast was clear.

Later, as Britain adapted to life with air raids and developed appropriate strategies for survival and defence, the G...

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