'One day I was in the kitchen with my friend. All of a sudden we heard a plane go over. We opened the back door…. and there was a German all in black racing just over our heads. He was being chased out to sea. We've had some scares.'
Violet Oakely, 91yrs old, on Kemp Town air raids.

	Letter from the Mayor of Brighton regarding the Government Evacuation Scheme, circa 1939.

The Second World War affected Brighton as it did the rest of Britain. A general blackout was enforced over the south of England in August 1939. Shelters were dug in playgrounds and parks. The Museum's collections were moved to the safety of the countryside.

For the first couple of weeks, all entertainments were stopped, though later continued. Anti-aircraft guns and searchlights were set up along the seafront. The beaches were closed, mined and guarded with barbed wire. Even the piers had sections removed to stop them being used as landing stages.

	Shrapnel from a shell fired by one of the anti-aircraft guns based along Brighton seafront.

The first raid on Brighton came on 15 July 1940. Brighton was not among the worst bombed towns in Britain, but for those who experienced it, their memories are no less revealing.

See objects on display in the Wartime section of Exploring Brighton gallery