Passing Lights on Bradford Street
The Second World War was on us then with all of the shadow
it could cast over nocturnal activities. Many of us shared an
intensified sense then of events to come. We anticipated the
possibility of air raids and German landings, conceivably, on
the shores of Cape Cod with its open beaches and lack of
fortifications. Of course we were three thousand miles away
from Europe, and the U.S. and British Navies were there to
protect us from U-boats, but that offered no certainty in those
days. Everyone���s experience then was existential. No one knew
yet how the war would turn out, and as a corollary of these
various forebodings and cautions, the towns of Cape Cod shut
down all outdoor lighting. The streets were dark. So, too, were
shades drawn on the windows of every house.
HYLAND
