Remarkable diary find from World War Two in Plymouth

Our interviewee Jack Berryman (born 1927) very kindly allowed us to look at his diary for 1941, and he has also permitted us to show it here. On the night of the first major blitz on 20th March 1941, Jack was a schoolboy living with his family at 2 Osborne Place, close to the Hoe. The day before, on Wednesday, he records a normal day, playing for the First XI against Plympton Grammar and losing 5-1. The next day, Thursday, he records that the King and Queen visited Plymouth. Then in a very poignant addition, in capital letters, he adds “OUR BIG BLITZ.” he goes on to mention “big craters and fires everywhere” and the following day, “No school”. Then he notes, the same day, “unexploded bomb found opposite the house.” The diary is a fascinating and remarkable insight into the mind of a young boy at such a terrible moment, and we thank Jack very much for allowing us to share it.2014-05-21 23.11.36

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