- Contributed byÌý
- Action Desk, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Suffolk
- People in story:Ìý
- Audrey Stalley, Victor Stalley, Mr. Ron Bray and Mrs. Doris Bray
- Location of story:Ìý
- Penzance, Cornwall
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A4438802
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 12 July 2005
This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Suffolk Action Desk on behalf of Audrey Stalley and has been added to the site with her permission. Audrey fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.
September 1939 — Edmonton, North London - Dad had gone into the RAF. We hardly saw him for the next six years — he was in Egypt for two and the next Christmas he was at home was in 1945.
Mum decided it would be safer for my brother Victor, aged 9, and me, aged 7, to be evacuated. We went to North Walsham, but this was the time of the ‘phoney war’ and we returned home for Christmas.
In the Spring of 1940 we were off again. We travelled by bus and train and 12 hours after leaving home we arrived in Penzance, dirty hungry, confused and in my case tearful. I was the youngest of the group because I went with Victor’s school so that we could stay together. We had a label with our name, our gas mask and a case with a change of clothes and a S.A.E. so we could let Mum know where we had gone. We were taken to a hall and women came in and picked the children they thought they would like to take. Victor went to one who only wanted boys — it was like a cattle market. There were three of us left — me, Joan and Mavis. At last a woman came in but she only wanted two — it was late and she was persuaded to take us all ‘just for the night’. ‘Auntie Doris’ took us home to ‘Uncle Ron’. When we were cleaned up and ready for bed I asked to say my prayers and I am told that Uncle Ron said ‘that little one is not going’. They had a terraced house with a small yard at the back where the toilet was. We three girls slept in the attic. After while Joan went home and later so did Mavis. Victor then came to Auntie Doris because he had not been well treated. We stayed two years.
It was very traumatic being evacuated — not all the local people were kind to us. I was very lucky to go to Mr. and Mrs. Bray.
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