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A legendary bass player broke down in tears at a public event after recounting a traumatic experience from his childhood.
Bill Wyman, who is best known as the "Quiet One" in the Rolling Stones, apologised to attendees for becoming "so emotional" at the event for The Oldie magazine at the National Liberal Club in London.
The incident occurred as the 87-year-old discussed his memoirs, 'Billy In The Wars', with the rock star recalling a heartbreaking moment when he was living in the capital during the Blitz as a young boy.
Bill said: "I was so hungry, Mum sent me to a bomb site to get dandelions to eat between bread. You would have to scrape around for anything edible. It was f*****g horrible and I was so cold."
The memoirs cover his life growing up in Penge, South East London, with the bassist previously describing his childhood as being “scarred by poverty”. Some of his neighbours sadly died in the Blitz.
In 2013, when Bill released 'Bill Wyman's Scrapbook', he revealed that he'd collected his ration and identity books from the war period, as well as letters, postcards, photos and documents.
He entered the military in Germany when he was 18, completing his national service with the Royal Air Force between 1955 and 1957.
The Blitz, a term derived from the German phrase 'Blitzkrieg' or 'lightning war', refers to an extensive bombing campaign conducted in the UK by the Nazis' Luftwaffe Air Force in the Second World War.
It occurred between September 1940 and May 1941 and targeted London, Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Hull, Plymouth, Clydebank, and Belfast.
The Blitz, which led to the deaths of more than 43,000 civilians, started on 'Black Saturday' (September 7). London saw 57 consecutive nights of bombing, with attacks also occurring in the daytime.
In April, Bill opened up about his exit from the Rolling Stones, saying they "refused to accept" that he'd left and revealed they "finally" did in 1993.
The group was about to embark on a 19-date US tour, having recently released its 24th studio album, 'Hackney Diamonds', in 2023, with Bill ending his 30-year break to play on the track 'Live By The Sword'.
He told the Mirror: “I just had enough. It was half my life and I thought, ‘I have got other things I want to do’. I wanted to do archaeology, write books, have photo exhibitions and play charity cricket.
"I used to read about ancient cultures while I was on the road and take photos as well. I just had this whole other life I wanted to live.”
The former Stones bassist would eventually pursue a wide range of interests, including writing and metal detecting and collecting stamps, cigarette cards, coins, posters, comics, books and Rupert Bear annuals.
English (US) ·