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"This story was submitted to the People's War site by Lisa Butcher of Leicestershire Library Services on behalf of Joan Elliott and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."

I was evacuated from Liverpool to Tarvin, near Chester, at the beginning of the Second World War. This was a most exciting time for me along with my older brother and sister, as we lived quite near many important areas that were obvious targets to the bombers later in the War, including the railway marshalling goods yards at Edge Hill, one of the important life lines for the transport of materials and armaments to the Docks etc.

We all had to go along to the nearest railway station, accompanied by a teacher and we then kissed our mum goodbye and went on the train, we knew not where, how exciting this was to me, but there was some very tearful faces both from children and parents.

We all had out gas masks and a label on our coats (our best clothes by the way) and were given a carrier bag each. This was wonderful, as it contained a sandwich, drink an apple and a whole bar of chocolate … each … heaven!!!

We eventually arrived at a village hall in Tarvin, my mother had told my 11 and a half year old sister to stay together and look after my 10 year old brother and me (8 and a half years old). A number of local people were in the hall and came to choose the children they were prepared to take into their homes. The couple who chose us, unfortunately did not have room for three children, so my sister and I were taken to one address and my brother to another, but as all the families knew each other they assured us that would be okay.

We arrived by car (another exciting event) to their home. This was wonderful — a thatched cottage in the country with a small holding attached with pigs and hens. I thought I was in Paradise after living in a busy (but friendly) area on the outskirts of a city.

I loved every moment of my time there.
It was all very basic of course, no running water, bathroom or heating upstairs, we had to bath in a shed in the outhouses with a corrugated roof on and get water from the well and heat it on the old cooking range in saucepans.

The kettle was always on the stove and there was an old teapot that was always full of stewed up tea.

We only went to school occasionally mostly half days ~ as the school consisted of going to different people’s houses.

The winter of 1939-1940 was a very bad one, consequently we were allowed to play on the pond in the field that was frozen solid ~ they tested the strength of it by pulling the horse and cart across it to see if it was safe.

Our bedroom window was so low down that we were able to lean out of it and pick fruit from the trees in the orchard. I ate so many apples and cherries one night I was very, very ill.

I loved to help to collect the eggs, I was allowed to go round the hen houses and put my hands under the warm hens’ feathers to get the eggs. We also had our own cat and dog each. I had a wonderful cat who followed me everywhere.

The toilet was outside along the path through the garden. It was an old out-building with a long wooden seat and three holes with buckets underneath, which had to be emptied into a cesspool — ugh!!! When I had to go to the toilet (on my home-made three wheeler bike), my cat would always sit on the seat whilst I stood up to pedal, and wait patiently for me to emerge, and pedal back to the house — she was lovely.

My sister was not as happy as me and she wanted to go back home and when my brother returned home to Liverpool, my sister wouldn’t settle, so my Mum and Dad came to take us back. I remember being very, very unhappy and cried on the way back. We had been there about fourteen months, so of course came back to Liverpool and spent about every night of the rest of the war sleeping in an Anderson shelter in the garden.
I kept in touch with the couple who looked after us and I occasionally cycled over to see them, along with a friend of mine ~ they certainly had given me a very happy time.

During the war my Dad was a train driver, and he often drove troops (including the Americans) down to Riverside Station, ready for them to go directly on to the ships to sail to war. He sometimes used to get chewing gum from the Yanks which was a treat for us.

The morning after the usual raids, we would spend lots of time sorting through the bombed houses looking for bits of shrapnel and any other things we could find. I remember the ground was still hot and steamy from the fires and the air was acrid with the strong smell of burning.

Later we celebrated V.E. day by going down to Lime Street and everybody was out dancing and singing in the streets, the flags were flying and there was an air of great relief and happiness everywhere.

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