Boy killed by mine in Wakering
Extract from an official WW2 incident report
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John Wiseman
Gordon Wiseman
A tragic consequence of lads larking about
A transcript of Mr Gordon Wiseman talking to Bob Stephen (BS) of RDCA about his wartime experiences in Gt. Wakering.
“Oh, yes. This is one experience I had. It's this one here.”
“6/14(sic) Gt. Wakering. Bernard Wendon was returning from Havengore Creek, walking on an unmade road. Passed through a mine field. Wendon was killed by a mine.” (BS)
“Yes.”
“Caused by throwing stones into the minefield.” (BS)
“He, Bernard Wendon who lived next door but one to me and his father absolutely doted on him, you know. He had a sister but she was neglected and the mother was neglec.... He was a strange boy, really, was Bernard Wendon.
“There had been a mine field just recently laid along side the road. You had to go through the road and the mine field was either side. And he decided that he wanted to see what a mine looked like when it went off. He'd got two other young lads with him Doug Midwinter and Denis Stubbs. Well, he picked up a boulder and threw over the fence and missed. Meanwhile these two other young lads, they ran across the road and there was a big farm roller in the field and they hid behind there.
“And he picked another one up and then he didn't miss with the next one. And there was a crowd of us down there because we used to go down there swimming regular, and, my brother John was with me down there. My brother John was much older than I was.
“He went down with the farmer and picked the lad up. And he sent me home on my own but I had to go right past them to get home and he had this big stake there sticking out of the side of him.
“You know, but that stuck in my memory all my life, you know. I mean, at seven or eight that was a traumatic experience isn't it.”
“Horrific.”(BS)
“Yes.”