August 28, 1940 – Colin Perry

Colin Perry was an 18 year old office worker in London during the summer of 1940. After the fall of France that June, Great Britain stood alone in military resistance to the onslaught of Nazi Germany. In order to prepare for an invasion of the British Isles, Germany began a massive bombing campaign—the Battle of Britain. Colin Perry was a witness to these events. He hoped to become a writer and began to keep a diary of his observations. He frequently ignored air-raid warnings to ride his bicycle to areas that had been hit so that he could record the news in his journal. At first, Colin seemed to relish the adventure of facing danger, but eventually his attitude began to change. As he witnessed the suffering that descended on the people of his country, he realized the true horror of war.

SHAKING MORALE

On August 28, 1940, Colin wrote about one of the effects of a bombing campaign that is not commonly recognized—sleep deprivation. He began his entry that day by observing, “I cannot say how tired I am. I have never known how much sleep means. Since the early hour of Friday morning the Nazi bombers have been over continuously, in consequence we have had warning after warning.  …during the last few nights single German raiders have been systematically crossing the metropolitan area. These lone raiders have occasionally dropped bombs, deliberately on the suburban districts, with the result that now every time a raider is reported the sirens have to be sounded. It is obvious that these raiders are only sent to affect our nerves, and try to shake our morale. … It is these that are responsible for keeping all Londoners awake and in their shelters for hours every night.”