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Home | Essay & Poetry Competitions | 2012 - Sample: "Barnes Wallis"

Mon Feb 6th 2012
This is one of the entries submitted and read by its Author.

 

A day in the life of Barnes Wallis

By Toby Lemon

My mornings are not as rushed anymore, with old age comes calmness, I’ve nothing to do most days apart from going down to my shed, reading the paper or occasionally listening to some records on my gramophone.

I get changed, then go downstairs for a full English breakfast (sausage, bacon egg and toast, a treat for the weekend) I help my wife with the washing up. Next, I stride down the garden path listening to the chaffinches sing and the blue-tits twittering on the bird table. As I walk into my cramped shed I notice my old dust-covered invention for testing my bouncing bomb theory; the theory that not only helped burst two of the largest German water supplies but also helped win the war and prevent thousands of lives being lost.

I settle down and continue shaping the wings on a model Wellington bomber, some people think it would be a lot more frustrating with eyesight as bad as mine but I don’t mind.

I walk back up the garden path, this time not listening to the birds but to the wind blowing against the old fir tree by the entrance to the orchard.

When I get back inside the hypnotising scent of Victoria sponge fills my nostrils. I have to turn off my route to the kitchen so that I can let my grandson in to the house. Thomas had to do an essay on the Second World War at school so I invited him to come and ask me any questions. I started off by telling him about the day I will never forget; the day that a whole squadron of Wellington bombers dropped the bombs I had designed on the Great Dams of west Germany. I had felt certain that my calculations were correct although simultaneously I had felt extremely worried. I knew that if my plan succeeded I would be treated like a hero however, if it failed it would have been a whole different story, people probably wouldn’t talk to me for several weeks , may be even months, I am so glad I succeeded.

After Thomas asks me lots of questions and we have a good chat ,we are called for a Sunday roast with all three generations of Wallis men.

After a stomach popping lunch our guests leave and I put my feet up for a snooze listening to some of the very best Glen Miller Band hits on my gramophone.

“Barnes” my wife calls me from the kitchen, I sit up to the sight of her bringing through a tray of refreshing looking salmon and cucumber sandwiches. I turn on the television hoping for one of my favourite old films like “The Colditz Story” or “The Great Escape” but to my surprise “The Dam Busters Story” is starting. I hobble to the telephone and phone my grandson telling him to watch. I return to my seat and settle down to enjoy.

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