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My family, mother, father, my sister and three brothers lived in Newcastle from 1934 to 1939. Before, we came from London and Kent.

During the summer school holidays we would spend part staying with grandparents and other relatives, us children being sent in ones and twos, on trains travelling alone in charge of very reliable and attentive guards. We were `handed over’ generally in London. In 1939 one brother and I were sent south, the journey then took 9 — 10 hours. In London we were separated, one to a grandmother, and myself to stay with an aunt and uncle who was vicar of Wingham Church in Kent. We always enjoyed these jaunts south. News coming in via radio and newspapers re: the build-up of crisis in Europe really did not affect us greatly and these events weren’t discussed in front of us children. So it was a surprise to me one day that I was told I would be leaving for home immediately, picking up brother in London on way and arriving late in the day in Newcastle. On reaching our house I was amazed to see a table in the kitchen loaded with five rucksacks, gas masks and food provisions. We were to be evacuated with our different schools the next morning. Our reactions were quite `matter of fact’, no wailing etc. Except out youngest brother who was only six and at pre-prep school alone, looked up at my mother and asked whether he would ever see us all again — that I have never forgotten although at the time it did not affect me or the others. Our father had by now left for the south. He was a civil engineer and in demand for various projects in the Defence and War Office. We very rarely saw him after that until hostilities ceased. So my mother escorted her shambling offspring in pairs to two school marshalling points and the youngest to join his very young group who were going to Penrith, the rest to Alnwick, and a village north of Alnwick.

My sister, myself and the rest of our class at school were then paraded up the streets of Alnwick, rather like a slave market and picked by local people, who had to offer places in their homes. It was all exciting but at the same time daunting and bewildering. In retrospect the whole evacuation process was extremely well managed and the school mistresses and masters superb in their control and dedication. As children we were lucky in having a wonderful mother who had to cope alone with us all going to three locations, shutting up our house and moving south where she was to work in one of the ministries. She held us all together by writing to each one of us every few days. School had to be arranged with local school accommodation helping, which meant often that one school would have lessons in the morning with their own teachers while the others had sport etc. in the afternoon. We had to work hard and there was no excuse for bad work. I did find though that chemistry had to be dealt with in a boys school some distance to walk to from our base. Consequently two-and-a-half hours was given over to this subject in one go. A long time to concentrate and I still see myself peering out of the smudged window to see a church clock. I was lucky, our school was graciously invited by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland to live there until the end of war. So, for us school life resumed as normal but now a boarding school. We enjoyed being together and this must have helped those whose fathers were killed or taken prisoner because I remember no outpourings of grief. We all seemed to absorb the abnormalities of life as if it were meant. Certainly one started to worry about one’s future as school certificate was taken and subjects chosen for higher and what careers to follow, with no close liaison with handy parents. I in fact had the offer of a place at Durham University to read architecture but would have to wait until I was 18 years old. So I joined up in the W.A.A.F. on the spur of the moment in Cambridge — a `Gap Year’! I wanted to fly and I did as an aircraft mechanic! The war lasted more than my gap year.

What did that period do for us? I think we became very independent; we made a lot of close friends; we experienced a great variety of tribulations especially those of others; we came to know in later life how much people gave to help and succour each other, with humour and understanding.

What did we do for others? Perhaps many of us, not all, helped our parents to worry less because our behaviour was not causing anxieties, we appeared to be happy enough and accepting life as it was, we did not question it, probably because in those days children obeyed their elders.

We also took part in war-time activities - not many would say they hadn’t helped at Harvest time. Many farms had summer camps for this. No worry about legislation then!

We did have excitements; spy-spotting, flashing lights seen, parachutes descending from aircrafts, possibly German? Bits washed up on beaches from Chinese money to rafts — tall story telling.

Great tragedies produce great comradeship. Comradeship lasts forever. Think of all the well-attended reunions. Remembering recalls events and uplifts ones life. Even after so long ago life has certainly been enriched and I have a love affair for Northumberland, the land, and it’s people.

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