I am now 79, and lived in Penylan Road from 1938 to 1950.

I believe my most vivid memory during that time, was the German raid on the 18 May 1943, which was exceptional, being the first attack on the city since the last blitz 0n the 3 March 1941.

My Mother and I were sheltering under the staircase in the house, following the warning. My father was in bed in the ground floor front room.

We heard a thump and assumed bombs had fallen some distance away. Later we opened the front door, and were shocked to find such devastation virtually on our doorstep.

There was a huge crater in the road and houses opposite had been demolished by a large bomb.

The houses adjacent to us were on fire, hit by oil bombs, and there was a large hole in our front garden.

Later that morning, a family and pet dog were rescued from the rubble opposite, and we learned that some people in the adjoining houses affected by the fire had perished. The hole in our front garden, contained a 200lb unexploded bomb.

I witnessed many tragic events as a messenger in the Civil Defence. I was based during all the blitzes in 1941 at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary.

However, opening our front door on that May morning in 1943, and seeing the total devastation of the raid, having heard virtually no noise, was indeed a most traumatic experience.