Sunday and Kathy did as they were told and soon they were hurrying along the drive, which was thankfully shrouded on either side by trees that were now in leaf. The sounds of the planes overhead and the explosions were so loud outside that they couldn’t hear themselves speak so they just concentrated on getting the children to safety as soon as possible.

Once inside Treetops John urged them towards the cellar door and as they descended the stairs, she saw Edith there with Peggy fast asleep on her lap. Cissie was there too and Sunday was pleasantly surprised at how cosy they had made it. An oil lamp and candles were burning, illuminating the long row of wine racks and John had taken down a table and some chairs and a primus stove, on which stood a kettle that was just coming to the boil. He had also brought some old wing chairs down from the loft for the adults to sit comfortably in and there were padded benches arranged along one wall for the children to lie on.

‘There, they’ll be as snug as bugs in rugs on there,’ Cissie declared once the children were comfortably settled and covered in blankets. ‘Now, who’s fer a nice cup o’ tea?’

She set out some cups then produced a cake tin full of scones she had made earlier that day.

‘There’s carrots instead o’ fruit inside ’em,’ she apologised. ‘An’ I’m afraid I never thought to bring any jam. But at least they’ll fill a hole till breakfast.’

‘The good lord knows what we’ll find out there tomorrow,’ John said sombrely, once they had settled back in the chairs and were tucking in to the scones, and they all nodded in agreement, their thoughts and prayers with the people in the town.

It was a very long night, and just as George had forecast it was the worst raid they had had to date, and it seemed to go on forever. It was almost dawn when the all-clear finally sounded and by that time it didn’t seem worth waking the children to go to their beds.

‘Let them have their sleep down here,’ Cissie whispered as the adults all climbed the stairs and went outside. They were horrified at the sight that met their eyes for a huge black cloud of smoke hung over the town in the distance.

‘We’d better get dressed and drive into town to see if there’s anything we can do,’ John said to George soberly. ‘They might need volunteers to dig for survivors if any houses have been hit.’

‘But ain’t you two a bit long in the tooth to be doin’ things like that?’ Cissie asked bluntly. ‘Why don’t yer leave it to the young ’uns?’