大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site at Surrey History Centre on behalf of Mrs Sheila Brown (nee Smith). It has been added to the site with the author's permission, and she fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was living in the Rhondda Valley in South Wales when I heard that the war in Europe was over. I was an evacuee, and had been moved from my home in New Malden, Surrey, the previous year, as the V2s were dropping in our area and causing much damage and many deaths. My younger brother and sister were living close to me with other families, but not our parents who had remained at home.

I couldn't quite come to terms with this tremendous news as I had expected the war, which had been so much part of my life, to last forever, and I was very happy living with avery kind family who had a daughter of my own age who had become a close friend.

"You will be going home soon," said her mother. But I wasn't sure that I was ready for that yet!

I used to have to telephone my parents every Sunday giving them all our news, and so on the next occasion I asked my father what was going to happen in the future. When were the three of us to return home?

He 'hummed and haahed' a bit and then said that he wanted me to stay until July and finish out the school year at Pentre Sec. which was a grammar school. I tried not to sound too relieved, especially when he said he was going to ask if the other two could stay as well!

In the meantime, he was arranging for me to transfer to Tiffin Girls School in Kingston-upon-Thames the following term.

However, I don't think we did see the school year out as I discovered that my elder brother, who had been evacuated elsewhere with his school on the same day that we had left home, had in fact returned home some weeks before. Then I too wanted to be home. So mother came and fetched us and we bid farewell to our host families. They had been so kind to us all, and I am still in touch with the daughter after all these years.

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