大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Emma Hart from the AGC Museum, Winchester on behalf of Peter G Moody, and was added with his permission. Mr Moody fully understands the site's terms and conditions. This is a continuation of his story.

Back to the evacuation - Mum, David and Brenda, who was only a few weeks old at the time were sent to Brmingham. I know that the man of the house where they stayed was a postman - mum certainly never got on very well with him. Mum and David were not very happy in Birmingham and I dont think they stayed long.

Beryl and I were sent to Loughborough with the strict understanding that we were to stay together. On our arrival, we were taken to Rosemary Street School - boys to the hall and girls to the classroom, and that was that. It was some weeks before I found out where Beryl was. Mind you she had landed on her feet, as it turned out. The Smiths treated her like a princess.

Next afternoon I was taken from that school to Limehurst School. I was sitting in the hall, when 3 boys, about the same age as myself, walked in. They looked at me and said to the man accompanying them that they would have me, so I was sent out with the three lads. We walked along the canal bank poking sticks in the water and tying to fish, and I was eventually taken into one of the lads homes. There was no-one home. Then a well - built lady came into the house. From the kitchen I heard a conversation between her and the lad who had brought me home - "I told you I didnt want an evacuee." I had arrived at the home of Mr & Mrs Johns, a Welsh family. Lewis, the boy who brought me home, was 12 years old and was the youngest of their children. The eldest daughter had been killed in a factory incident soon after leaving school, just before the start of the war. Their eldest son, Ray, was in the Army - he was 19 years old, Betty, another daughter, was married and lived in her parents house with her husband Ernie and baby son Malcolm. There was also Uncle Lou (Mrs Johns' brother). Luckily it was a four bedroomed house on a small council estate.

Loughborough itself escaped the bombing, which was just as well, as we were well and truly placed as a prime target for enemy aircraft, having two large engineering factories at the bottom of the garden. The Brush Engineering Works and the Empress Works - both linked by the main rail line from London and the North. Mrs Johns, Ernie and Unce Lou all worked at The Brush. Mr Johns worked in the building trade.

School started again for me, but only in the afternoons. The school could only cope with the influx of children by taking local children in the mornings and evacuees in the afternoons. I wasnt too pleased with this solution, as my mates were now the local lads who had taken me in. So they were out mucking around near the canal when I had to be in class.

There were occassions when an air raid siren woud sound, and if we kids were playing outside, I would, of course run off into the house. The other kids thought this was very funny and would carry on playing in the street. They had never known what a real bombing raid was like.

Loughorough was a very happy time for me. I formed close friendships which, of course, was very hard for us children affected by the war, with us moving around all the time, never staying in one place too long, and when back in London, not going to school very often. Loughborough offered so much to do, what with all the canals, the River Trent, the American Army tented camp at Quorn, and the Italian prisoners roaming the streets in their chocolate brown uniforms with a light triangle patch on their backs. We kids understoosd this was where they were to be shot if they tried to run away!

There was a Saturday Morning Cinema show followed by a meal at the British restaurant. the cost of the meal would only be a few pennies. Like the cinema you bought tickets for the meal at the door - one for a main meal and one for a pudding. Loughborough was a very small compact town, with a large market in the centre of town, held on Thursdays and Saturdays, so there was plenty for us kids to do.

We made trips to the American Army Camp to pick up laundry from some of the men, this we would take home for the mothers to wash. When the clean washing was reurned, the mothers would get paid. Sometimes te Americans would ask us to go down to the Fish and Chips shop in the village of Quorn for them - I' m afraid they did not always get their fish and chips!

I can recall going to the camp one day, and finding that all the men had disappeared overnght. They must have left in a hell of a hurry, beacuse all of the tents were still there and lots of their personal belongings were lying around. A lot of the cigarettes and tobacco were taken home for the Fathers - at least what was left after the lads had tried smoking it first.

Th invasion of Europe had started at this time. The big disaster for the Johns family was that their son Ray was killed at Arnham.

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