The Longest Night Essay

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Longest Night Essay The lives of the British people during the Blitz of 1941 were, without a doubt, extraordinary. They faced extremely difficult times and stared adversity in the eye. The amazing part of their ordeal was not only what was happening, but their attitude during the time. There are many accounts from May 10, 1941 that show just how extraordinary these peoples’ lives were. One of these accounts was that of Fred Cockett. Fred wanted to help London fight the Blitz, so he volunteered for the Fire Service. Before the Blitz got very serious, the public did not approve of the firefighters. They accused them of joining the Fire Service as a way to avoid fighting on the front lines. When talking about the public, Cockett remembered, “They called us army dodgers and the like. We didn’t like it because we knew how bloody hard we were working.” But although Cockett didn’t like it, he didn’t lose a bit of enthusiasm toward helping London. He was never late to work, despite a seven-mile bicycle ride from his home town. The firefighters finally got the respect they deserved when heavier raids fell upon London. What is amazing about Cockett’s and all of the firefighters story, is that they brushed of the public’s opinion without being discouraged, because they knew they were doing the right thing, and that was all that mattered to them. John Fowler’s experience is another example of how the lives of Londoners were extraordinary. John was a fourteen year old living in London. He was evacuated from London to safety in Haslemere. It was a terrifying experience as any child would not like to be separated from the family. On top of that, the only person to help him and give him company in his eighteen months away from London was his sister, Joan. Unfortunately for both of them, there was administrative error, causing Joan to be sent to Dorset,
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