大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Emma Burman of CSV Media on behalf of Betty Sutton and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was born on the 12th December 1927 at St.George鈥檚 Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, which is now a hotel. I lived with my parents and younger sister at 9, Montrose Place, near Halkin Street, Hyde Park Corner. I was christened at St. Peter鈥檚 Church, Eaton Square, SW1. Age 3 years, I went to school at St Peter鈥檚 C of E school in Lower Belgrave Street. At age 11 years, I won a scholarship to Holy Trinity Central School for Girls, Vauxhall Bridge Road.

Evacuation
In 1939-40 the evacuation started, and I with my sister were sent to Hever near Edenbridge in Kent. We were billeted to a couple living on a farm in the village. We weren鈥檛 wanted and were very badly treated. We were made to go out during the day and not allowed back in, even though we had nowhere to go. We just had to walk around the village.

One day in Hever I, with other children, was shot at by a German plane while I was walking down the road. I had to dive into a hedge to save myself. It was common for people to be shot at while they were outside in the fields or along the lanes. Another time, a pilot ejected as his plane was passing over the village. A farmer shot him as he came down. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one less German,鈥� he said.

Having just won a scholarship to my school in Vauxhall, I was disappointed that there was no schooling. We were told that books would be sent from our school (all our teachers were with us), but the school was bombed. For a time we attended the village school, which is still there next to Hever Castle but it only had the capacity for the village children and couldn鈥檛 cope with the number of evacuees.

Porridge and misery
My sister and I shared a small room with one single bed, which looked out onto a pigsty. Needless to say, we rarely opened the window. It was so horrendous I can still see it. We were given porridge for breakfast. One day it was so lumpy and sticky I just couldn鈥檛 eat it. I was told I would have to have it for lunch if I didn鈥檛 eat it. And when at lunch time I refused to eat it, I was told I would have to have it for supper. It was two whole days before they gave in and gave me something else to eat. It鈥檚 a memory that sticks in my mind and I haven鈥檛 eaten porridge since.

We were treated very cruelly. My sister was always crying and I had to grow up very quickly and look after her. I remember learning to wash her hair.

We used to devise escape plans. We thought of following the train line back to London. In the end we decided to be so rude and impossible in the hope that the couple would refuse to look after us any longer. It had the desired effect.

The next home we were billeted to was wonderful. The couple were from Switzerland were very kind. I stayed in touch with them until they died and I鈥檓 still in regular contact with their daughter.

Life for my parents in London
My mother and father moved from Montrose Place to 9, Grosvenor Crescent, the war-time offices of the British Red Cross Society, who are still there. 7, Grosvenor Crescent was the home of Lord and Lady Palmer of Huntley and Palmers Biscuit Company. My father became a part-time fire-fighter in Westminster, known then as the A.F.S, but full-time he was the driver for the Receiver, Metropolitan Police at Old Scotland Yard. My mother became a housekeeper for the B.R.C Society where she stayed for about 25 years. My father did a similar length of service for the Metropolitan Police.

My return to London
I returned home to Westminster, aged 15, because my father was anxious that I wasn鈥檛 learning anything and thought I ought to do something more practical. At first I was relieved to be home but when the bombing started I began to wish I was back in Kent. I remember how terribly frightening it was, especially the rockets. During this time my parents would worry when I was out late at night. Until the age of 21, I had to be home before 10pm. If I was late my father would be waiting out on the steps. I didn鈥檛 understand his worry so well at the time, but I do appreciate it now.

One day at home a bomb came through our building and landed on the stairs. They were wooden and caught fire. Luckily because my father was a fire fighter he was able to put it out. Otherwise the whole building might have burnt down.

I started work for the Gas Industry in Gas Industry House, Hyde Park Corner, which is no longer there, but the large building is still offices. I stayed until I married on 6th September 1952, at St Peter鈥檚 Church, Eaton Square.

Joining the Girls Training Corps
As the war was still on, I joined the Youth Movement, which was called the Girls鈥� Training Corps, finally becoming an Officer Cadet. We wore navy blue uniforms, white shirts and forage caps, mine with a white flash. It was good training for those wishing to be called up eventually. Part of our training was 鈥渄igging for Victory鈥�, and we were given the use of the garden, at the rear of Apsley House , No 1, London, in order that we could turn some of it into an allotment ; numerous beans eventually appeared and the girls in uniform working in it.

I also spent one evening a week in with the Westminster Branch of the Air Training Corps (ATC), helping them to run their canteen. Both my sons went from the ATC to the Met Police Westminster.

My father made a small film for one home movie in 1939 鈥� 1940 of what was happening in Westminster. I can remember seeing the sand-bagging of Whitehall, plus the shelters being dug up, and put in Hyde Park. In this film, two little girls can be seen putting on their gas masks. It is on 8 or 16 mm film, so I have not seen much more of it. It was lent by me to the 大象传媒 who used it in a documentary of wartime movies.

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