12th June 2004

Dear Valerie

Bombs at Windlesham

I went to Windlesham House School in 1974 and very early on with a small
gang of friends became interested in scouring the school grounds and
surrounding South Downs for any 'artefacts' that the Canadian Army had
failed to take home with them in 1945.

I enclose a photograph taken in my more naive days when I had'nt quiet understood that bombs are meant to explode on impact so if you find one that has'nt exploded it should be regarded with suspicion!

This photograph was taken in 'the valley' as we called it which is just behind Highden House in about 1975 and shows me proudly holding the first intact 2" mortar bomb that we had found.

Of course I had to keep such a find so I took it back to the school and kept it for a couple of days (until I was found out) in a box under the bed of my mother who worked as a girls matron at the school.

I was rather upset when it was later collected by a bomb disposal unit.  We all continued to pick up things for the remainder of our time at the school and even became rather good at it but we always gave the intact bombs a wide birth.

I later joined the Royal Artillery.

With Regards

Michael Boulton
 

Michael Boulton, Billingshurst, West Sussex.