The Bogey Hole

John "Jack" William Thompson was just twelve years old when Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939.

Growing up in Coventry, John witnessed his familiar world transform around him. Gas masks became part of everyday life. Blackout restrictions darkened the streets. His younger brothers were evacuated, while air-raid sirens and the threat of German bombers became an increasingly frightening reality.

Then came the Coventry Blitz.

John recalls sheltering with his family beneath the stairs in their "bogey hole", returning to a bomb-damaged school, and later joining the Warden Messenger Service - cycling through the city during air raids while bombs fell and shrapnel crashed onto the rooftops around him.

The Bogey Hole: Surviving the Coventry Blitz is his remarkable first-hand account of growing up in one of Britain's most heavily bombed cities.

Originally written by John on four sheets of typewritten paper for his grandson's school project, his memories have now been brought together in this illustrated book so that his story - and the experiences of an ordinary Coventry family during extraordinary times - can be shared with a new generation.