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I
remember the first time my Gran told me about it - I was about six,
and I was spellbound.
She
said it was in 1916 and they'd just had another attack on the Headland.
She'd
stood with her pals as the zeppelin had dropped from the sky like
"a big, fat marrow dripping with flames" and "melted"
into the sea.
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| Linda's
grandmother. |
That's
when she saw it. Her dagger.
It
was golden, with shiny gemstones on the handle - pointy like a paper
knife.
She
reckoned it'd dropped from the zeppelins; she thought she'd found
the Crown jewels!
Everyone
wanted to touch it but she wasn't having any of that.
With
an ever-growing crowd joining in behind her, she ran all the way
home to surprise her mother - but she didn't get quite the reception
she'd hoped for.
Her
mother walloped her around the ears and told her to "get that
filthy German dagger out of the house".
Her
special moment
Gran
said she'd felt crushed: it was her special moment and it had been
ruined.
All
she'd wanted was to feel important and special, just for once.
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| Linda's
grandmother as a girl. |
I remember
feeling hurt and angry on Gran's behalf when she told me that.
She
was made to take it to the Bobbies.
One
Bobby in particular was delighted to take it off her hands - thieving
so-and-so!
I wish
I'd been there to stop her giving it away, but her mother had put
pride before profit, even though they were so poor.
How
many people would do that today?
Over
the years, we used to look for it in museums and in books.
Before
she died she swore she'd seen "her" dagger on the Antiques
Roadshow.
It's
funny, but I still look out for it on Gran's behalf, even though
I've only ever seen it in my imagination.
 Listen
to Linda's story
More
Telling Lives stories
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