大象传媒

Beryl Sebire (n茅e Saich) interviewed by Matt Harvey, Social History Officer, Guernsey Museum. The interview recorded on video. The video transcribed by J David 5-8/9/2005

[Beryl Saich had been evacuated with the Girls鈥� Intermediate School from Guernsey to Rochdale. Her parents had remained in Guernsey.]

We went up to Rochdale, where Gracie Fields comes from, and some of the girls were really excited 鈥� ooh, Gracie Fields, wonder if we can see her, and all the rest of it 鈥� this wonderful big house, enormous big house, some gentlemen鈥檚 residence, and we all got in there, but I was only there for two days, and the headmistress, Miss Roughton, she called for me. I thought 鈥淥oh, I hope I haven鈥檛 done anything I shouldn鈥檛 do鈥�. 鈥淐ome in, dear,鈥� she says 鈥淣ow then, Beryl,鈥� And I looked, and I looked at this gentleman 鈥� 鈥淯ncle Graham! Uncle Graham!鈥� I said, 鈥淚鈥檓 so pleased to see you!鈥� 鈥淪o you know him鈥� 鈥淵es, he鈥檚 my uncle鈥�. He said where he was living, and we went down into a place called Southall, not a very nice place anyway, went down there, and he owned this shop, what I can describe as more or less like Marquands, [Transcriber鈥檚 note, Marquand Bros was a long established ship chandlery, ironmongery, and kitchenware shop on the Quay in St Peter Port] Marquand brothers, and same thing, not quite so large, china, he had two shops, a china shop and a hardware shop, and before the war we used to go over every Christmas to be with relations at Christmas, I used to love to get behind the counter, in the blue bags, two pounds of soda, all weighed up in those days by hand. And a pound of soap flakes, I can see myself doing that now, behind the counter, oh I was pleased doing that, 鈥淐an I get behind the counter please Auntie Elsie鈥�. 鈥淥n Soda and soap flakes, please鈥�. I was in my element.. That went on fine, just for a few months, then the Germans come over, with bombs.

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