December 29 is one of those days in the year which has, in many ways, become a 'no day.' It is sandwiched between the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The Wise men in the Christmas story have returned home. The Christ child has not quite left the manger with his parents, Mary and Joseph. In modern society, the shops are crowded with bargain hunters at the sales.

Sixty-six years ago, Britain was at war and the enemy was bombarding England, and London, and in particular the City of London. This very night, when the roar of the presses were printing copies of the national daily newspapers at more than 35,000 copies an hour, and journalists and printers filled the bars of Fleet Street, a ferocious Luftwaffe air raid, designed, it seemed, to rip the heart out of the nation's communications industry, was carried out.

Offices, shops, apartments, newspaper headquarters and churches felt the full might of the blasts. Miraculously, St Paul's Cathedral remained almost untouched. Alas, the church of St Bride was almost wiped out. It was thanks to journalists, printers, pub owners and shop employees, that some of the church's treasures were able to be saved.

To the best of my knowledge, there are two members of the congregation of St Bride's who can recall to this day what exactly happened. Both are members of the Guild of St Bride. They are Brian Braithwaite, who was invested nearly 10 years ago and John Colley, whose investment took place in 1979.

Their stories give a remarkable insight into the tragic events of that night. December 29 is certainly not a 'no day' in their memories.

As the New Year unfolds, we hope to bring to you the personal experiences of these two guildsmen.