On the 8th May, OB Roger Whitbread (47-52), father of Prep School teacher Andrew Whitbread, came to talk to the Year 3 and 4 boys in the Prep School about his experiences during WW2 and on VE Day. He spoke about bombs landing in Bedford aimed at the WH Allen factory, and how the house next door to his parents’ was hit by an incendiary bomb, which caused it to burn down and also rendered their own house uninhabitable. They often had to take cover in an air raid shelter when the sirens went off.
Rationing meant he didn’t have sweets or chocolate, and he remembered going down to the Embankment on VE Day to celebrate the end of the war. His father was in the army and didn’t return to England until early 1946—five years after leaving for India. It was a really powerful experience for the boys to hear from someone who had lived through the war. It really brought to life this period of history for them.
Hugh Maltby (73-83) attended the talk as Roger was a good friend his father. He had a complete surprise when Roger pulled up a picture of the two of them in the Under-15 A team, which was overseen by David Money (Staff 47-78). Hugh joked ‘Thankfully I didn’t inherit his ears!’
