The 'Doodle Bug' (V 1) was something of a novelty to the young: an aircraft with flames at it's rear seemed very odd. The after affects were not in the least amusing - as I found (being on the wrong end of one) whilst working in Cannon St.(London) in 1944.

My dad lived on the St Helier Estate in Wigmore Road and often used to speak of the time he was bombed out. My grandmother was asleep on the sofa at the time the doodlebug hit and was buried under rubble for quite some time, as was my father who was in a chair under the front room windowsill. The rescue team found him fairly quickly, but they had to stop and listen frequently to locate my grandmother's calls for help. She escaped with minor cuts and bruises thankfully. He also used to mention that grandmother had a glass bowl with eggs in - the glass bowl had shattered from the blast, but the eggs remained in the shape of the bowl that had held them! In the looting that followed, dad lost his favourite wooden fort and all his soldiers plus his treasured stamp collection that had a penny black AND a penny red! (He always sounded most disgruntled when he told us of this!)

Fascinating story I think he means the electric pylon just in the park at Rosehill.

 What was Rose Hill Park used for during the war?

My Nan and Grandad moved to Robertsbridge Rd in 1933 my dad was 19 months old. Lived there until the 1970's

I was born at 61 Glastonbury Road in January 1944 and have heard my mother mention when a 'Doodle Bug' (V1) fell in a nearby road and many of the houses in Glastonbury Road suffered blast damage and ours (61) was the only one left in that immediate area with a working WC. Our house suddenly became very popular with the neighbours.

For Philip Maguire re entry of 10/01/2011 I'm wondering what question about the pylon behind Rosehill Ave.brought your answer. This was a playground for us from the 40s growing up in the avenue.

This is amazing...my mum told me a couple of weeks ago about hearing the doodle bug and then it went quiet....she ran as fast as she could through Rosehill Park afraid it might land on her!!!! She lived at 78 Glastonbury, 2 bed house shared with Mum Dad and 5 sisters!!!

I can also remember the doodlebug that fell onto the end houses in Robertsbridge Road on the corner of Wrythe Lane & Robertsbridge. As soon as we heard the all clear we all ran round there from St Benets Grove cul-de-sac. I can recall hearing the people saying that the doodlbug had hit the cables carried by the pylons and that's why it had fallen where it did. If it had carried on the chances were that it would have come down in St Benets. When I visited Rosehill a few years ago with my younger sister, she couldn't recall any of this happening. I just told her to look at the 'newer' bricks in that particular block where they had all been rebuilt.

In answer to the question above 'what was Rosehill Park used for during the war. There was nothing in the Rosehill park, but on the park opposite....which we knew as Rosehill Park West.... there was at least one Ack Ack battery, it was situated just in front of the clubhouse that is there now.....we had some nice pieces of shrapnel that fell in that area thanks to that Battery! I remember all the railing and gates that encircled Rosehill Park being taken away for the war effort, as they did to all the railings and gates around the 'green plots' that run the length of St. Benets Grove. There was also an ARP station on one of them.