It was a rather dull day which wasn’t uncommon in the busy streets of London, The smog was thinner than the normal and as per usual the brick roads were met with countless shoes of horses, Wheels of carriages and uncountable numbers of children running from one side to the other. The chaos outside was a peace for the residents, Possibly a scene for euphoria for the older ones. When life ends another one just begins, The 15th of June 1902 was the day William O’neil was born and this is his story.
CHAPTER ONE: Normality
William was one of eight siblings. He had three sisters and four brothers all born before him. His mum and his dad were people you could get along with but also people not to get on the bad side of, He was the light of his families lives. Of course the birth of any baby is a joyous time in the lives of parents but not for this family, The worry of affordability and judgement overshadowed the happiness that the siblings saw of their parents. They could barely afford to feed and clothe the older ones. It’s the year 1907 and William has only just turned five years old, He had already been working for two years as a chimney sweep just like his older brothers when they were his age. His sisters worked in the factory barely making 4 shillings a week but that’s the life they lived and they had grown accustomed to it. Like clockwork the siblings would wake up at the crack of dawn and return late in the afternoon barely scraping enough time to eat and wash themselves after a hard day working. They never got the chance to go to school even though they could only dream of receiving an education. An education was a privilege not a promise for the children of London. Everything was relatively normal for the O’neils for some years going forward. That was until 1914 where in the early hours of an august morning an alarming sound awoke them, A sound they never heard before but knew it wasn’t a good one. Screams and explosions could be heard in the mix of that sound, Many people running for they’re lives like cattle in a field. Some were trampled on and some were trampling, The O’neils were part of the chaos. Trying to get anywhere but where they were, William was fast but not fast enough to keep up. He had tripped over a man’s foot and lost sight of his loved ones, Through the trip he hit his head off of the brick road and slowly everything around him turned black.
CHAPTER TWO: The destruction of families
William was awoken by an officer trying to catch his attention, William couldn’t hear what he was saying. His ears were ringing and he was filled with all kinds of confusion until he looked around and remembered what took place only a matter of hours before. What was once a street full of Stores, Horses and people was now bricks, Smashed glass and destruction. He stood up fast looking around for his family but to no success, He was all alone in this big wide world and he didn’t like it. He sat up and by this point his ears were no longer ringing. He could hear people groaning in pain, Calling for their loved ones and uniformed men sifting through the rubble to find any casualties. It wasn’t a sight he wanted to ever see, What was a nightmare had became a reality for him and he was terrified. As WilliM was gathering his thoughts a man in uniform put his hand on his shoulder “You alright there lad?” The man said to William in a concerned tone, William looked at him but didn’t spit a word out to him. “Your head, It’s bleeding are you hurt boy?” The man said sternly, William touched his head and realised what he was talking about so at this point he nodded. Guided by the man William stood up and followed him to a make-shift hospital, The store he had always known as Billy’s Bookmakers was now filled with countless casualties, Nurses and unforgettable deceased plagued Williams thoughts as they raced. Tears began to roll down his soot covered cheeks, All he could do was mourn the comfort of his family. After all a 12 year old should never have to have been in this position to begin with, He just wanted his family.
