大象传媒

When will I see you again
Mavis Harbottle (nee Hann)

It was July 20th 1939 and my 5th Birthday I was going to start school in a few weeks time and I really looked forward to going.

After a first few weeks at school I was told I was going to be evacuated. I was told I was going on a lovely holiday with all the children. We would be going to the country where there would be fields to play in, streams to swim in and trees to climb.

The day arrived when I had to go. We had labels tied to our coats with our names and address on and where we were going. We carried our gas masks in little cardboard boxes on our shoulder, which we had to take everywhere we went.

My sister Doreen went away first she was nine years old, I did not know what happened to her, she just seemed to go, I never saw her again for a very long time. I only knew she was going away like me, My mother said we were to be together but I later found out that my sister was taken to Keswick in the lake district, I was sent to Sandside in Cumbria.

I remember boarding the train at South Shields station and all the mothers were there saying goodbye to their children, I really did not know what was happening I just knew I was going on a long train journey

After what seemed to be forever we arrived at Sandside. We were taken into a church hall and had to stand in a line. Some ladies came in and said we will have these two girls, that was my friend called Maureen and myself. They took us to a desk, ticked off our names on the register and then of we went with the two ladies. We all walked down the country lane together

The lady that was with my friend said we are going this way and disappeared down another country lane. I was left with this strange lady. I did not know what was happening.

She then took me to her house and introduced me to her husband. Then she took me around the house, showed me a small bedroom, and said this is where you are going to sleep. I got
the shock of my life. I thought I was never going to see my mam again.

I just did not understand what was happening what was going on. I did not know what had happened to my school friend. I felt very, very frightened

I never spoke one word to the lady, I just went to bed. That night I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up the next morning I realised I was still in the bedroom, I started to cry again for my mam, I cried all through breakfast and the lady got very cross with me.

She took me to school the next day and to my surprise my friend Maureen was there and some of the other children from our school. It made me feel much better. I was so pleased to see them all.

The lady I was staying with was called Mrs Allen; it was very quiet where she lived. There was no one to play with so she used to put me in the garden to play on my own. I had no toys, I just wondered around the garden, so she decided to open up the Summer house for me, it was full of cobwebs and there was a table and chair, I spent most of my time sitting in there, I never spoke to Mrs Allen unless she spoke to me to tell me what to do.

After a few months my mother came to see me unexpectedly she brought my baby brother with her. I was so overjoyed to see her. She stayed only on night she could not stay any longer because she had to visit my sister I was so sad when she left but tried not to cry I did not know when I would see her again

One day Mrs Allen said we were moving into another house, we all went to live with a kind elderly gentleman called Mr Holdsworth I liked Mr Holdsworth he always had time to talk to me, he had a lovely old sheep English sheep dog called scamp which was a lovely companion for me. I was here a few months when my dad came to see me, he only stayed one night and was away again. He could not stay any longer because he also had to go and see my sister and get back for his job. Travelling was not easy in those days as all the petrol was rationed there were hardly any busses on the road.

One day Mrs Allen said she was going away and that I was going to live with another lady called Mrs Watson. She lived at Sandside station with her husband. I liked Mrs Watson, I had to call her Aunty Annie her husband was Uncle Bill.

The station was across the road from the Estuary, I spent most of my time playing on the beach with their dog called Skipper.

The beach was always deserted because there was nobody living in that area. One day I crossed the Estuary, when the tide was out and nearly got drowned coming back, as the tide was coming in very fast. The Estuary ran from Morecambe Bay to the river Kent. It was all quick sand. Mr Watson spotted me from the window of the house and had to come and rescue me. I got put to bed, then got a good telling off!

My sister was staying in a beautiful house in the Lake District. She lived with Lord and Lady Rochdale. She was with other children and was very happy there.

My mother was trying very hard to get us together and asked if they would take me. Lady Rochdale could not take any more children as she already had six evacuees staying there.

One day I was told my sister was going to be moved from Keswick to a place called Arnside only four miles from where I lived. My mam had managed to get Doreen into a Hostel for evacuees and hoped that I could move in with her. Unfortunately there was not enough room for me, but I was told soon as there was a vacant bed I would be able to live there.

It must have been a year since I saw my sister, I remember the very day. I walked into the hostel, they shouted for her to come. She came down this huge staircase, she wore a black gym tunic, long black tights and her hair was cut short. When she saw me she ran the rest of the way and flung her arms around me. We cried and cried till we had to be separated. From then on I was allowed to go and visit her every Sunday. I had to take my own sandwiches for my tea as everything was rationed.

I used to travel on the bus myself. I was put on the bus at Sandside and get of at the last stop at Arnside. I then had to walk along to the hostel. I was nearly six years old by then.

I continued to live with Mrs Watson but I was dying for the day I could go and live with Doreen.

Then one day Mrs Watson said she was going to have a baby so I would have to move to another home.

I arrived at a farmhouse, the farmers were called Mr & Mrs Taylor, they had lots of children, I enjoyed being with children, and we were allowed more freedom and played in the fields and woodlands. All the children used to sleep in the one bed. I was not there very long, when I was told there was a spare bed at the hostel.

The hostel was a large grey house called Grey Stones. It had a large hall with wide long staircase; there was a playroom and dining room off the hall. The playroom had a large coal fireplace and lockers around the room. There were no carpets on the floor; no chairs to sit on and there were very few toys to play with. Upstairs there were two large bedrooms with bare wood floors and ten canvas folding camp beds set out around the room. The beds were covered with grey wool blankets. Each bed had a soft toy perched on the pillow. One bedroom was for five to eight year olds and the other was for nine to thirteen year olds.

I soon settled in, as I had my big sister with me now. I soon learnt to make my bed and change my sheets every Friday.

We had to stand in a line to have a bath; there were always three in together, as one got out one got in. The older girls helped to bath the younger children. We stood in line for our hair to be washed. The matron washed our hair and the nurse combed it through, to make sure we had no head lice. We all wore washed up coats for dressing gowns. There was only one matron, one nurse and one cook to look after twenty of us.

We had to stand in line outside the dinning room door at meal times; the dining room was always locked. Older ones first and young one鈥檚 last.

Breakfast consisted of lumpy porridge with hardly any milk or sugar on, which we all had,
to eat. We had cocoa made with water, which we all also hated, but got used to it.

I can鈥檛 remember what we got for lunch, all I know if you did not eat it you got it for your tea.

Tea was usually a slice of brown bread, with thick margarine spread on it, jam if you were lucky, No suppers!

I went to a new school in Arnside; all the children were in one class, the juniors and infants
We had to write with pen and ink, what a mess we made of our books. One teacher was trying to teach both classes.

We all went to church on Sunday mornings, before we went we were all issued with a clean piece of white rag for our noses, which had to last us a week.

I remember one time we had a letter from our mam to say she was comming to stay with us for a few days. She would be staying in the guesthouse in the village and she said we could stay with her. We could not wait we were so excited.

The day came for us to meet here at the station. We waited all day and our mam never arrived. We were very upset; we thought she would never come.
The next day we were walking from school and we saw this lady walking towards us, pushing a pram, she had a great big smile on here face, then we realised it was our mam. We both ran to her as fast as we could and hugged her, we were all in tears.

We all went back together to stay at the guesthouse, my mam, sister and baby brother and me.

There was only one double bed so we all cuddled in together. It was wonderful having mam with us. She stayed a few days and took us for walks and then she was away again. We would have loved to have gone back with her but she said there was still a lot of bombing and it was still not safe. Christmas came and went and we longed to go home.

Then out of the blue we got a letter from mam to say it was safe for us to come home. She was going to come and collect us, we could hardly believe it. It was two years since we had been home.

Mam arrived with our baby brother Terry after a very long tiring journey by train. She said the trains were packed with soldiers coming and going to war.

She packed the pram with our possessions, from the top of the pram hood to the bottom; she could not get another thing in the pram. She even had to carry my baby brother. She then took Doreen myself and another little boy called Bobby Fisher (who's mam was unable to collect him) to take him back home.

We had a terrible time trying to get on the trains as they were all packed with soldiers with their kit bags.

We eventually managed to get in the guards van among all the luggage. The guardsman did not mind. And helped my mam with all the children

We must have changed trains at least three times and we always landed in the guards van pram and all.

When we eventually arrived home, the first thing I saw on the dinning room table was a tomato. I said Oh a tomato! I had not seen one since I left home two years ago, my mam said don鈥檛 touch that it鈥檚 for your dads tea, what a disappointment.

I was seven years old and my sister was twelve years old when we eventually got home for good.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.