大象传媒

At the outbreak of war almost immediately we were told that the school would close and all the pupils and teachers would be evacuated. We didn't know where we were going, but were all assembled on the station platform with gas masks and labels tied to our button hole like a luggage label.

My brother who went to a different school was put on a different train and sent to a different area of Wales. We went to a small village in South Wales and it was quite difficult to mix with other people in the village, as they didn't really want us and felt that they were being forced to take us. Anything that we wrote home was severely censored by the people that we lived with.

The family that we stayed with had a son who was older than me whose favourite game was to beat me with his stick, which his parents thought was fun, and any parcels that were sent to me by my parents were searched through by the people who I was staying with and things like sweets never got to me.

After three years, like many others I ran away and when caught was sent back to my family, where I was severely reprimanded for stealing some bread, which was rationed.

After a short time back in Folkestone I was sent to Devon where I couldn't have been more happier and the experience showed me the two sides of being an evacuee. And when I was reunited with my brother neither of us recognised each other.

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