Shirley Freke

Recollections of working for the Australian Red Cross and the destruction of the family home.

Evacuation

Born in 1926, Shirley Freke was thirteen years old at the outbreak of war and living with her family at St Leonards Gardens, Hounslow. At the beginning of the war Shirley and her brother Gordon were evacuated to Somerset but soon returned home.

Bomb damage

On the 19th June 1944 the family’s house was one of 1,300 damaged by a single flying bomb which fell five houses away. Shirley recalls, 'I was in my bedroom and I heard the Engine, then a brief silence before the explosion of everything in the room'. Three were killed by the explosion and, in relation to other incidents, Shirley and Gordon were fairly fortunate – they suffered from minor injuries, although Shirley lost her voice temporarily due to the emotional trauma caused by the blast.

At the time the bomb hit, Gordon was asleep – his double bed was split in half and he was protected from serious injury by the mattress which blocked flying debris. Shirley heard the noise of the bomb and recognised it instantly – she managed to escape being crushed by the falling bedroom wall and furniture. Gordon and Shirley were taken to Heston Congregational Church and the Village Hall to recover from the incident. 

In 1927 their parents had moved from Bath to St Leonards Gardens – in the cul-de-sac alone 21 other houses were destroyed. Gordon and Shirley’s father passed away in 1946 as a result of the bombing – he did not live long enough to see the house rebuilt. The family returned to the house in St Leonards Gardens in 1947. Shirley still lives in the same house today.

The Australian Red Cross

In 1943, at the age of seventeen, Shirley began work at the Australian Red Cross in London. Shirley recalls how the work at the Red Cross involved meeting Australian prisoners of war in London on their way back to Australia. When the war finished, Shirley became involved in helping English girls who had married Australian soldiers to emigrate to Australia. Shirley was employed at Australia House until 1963.