大象传媒

June 2nd, 1940 I was evacuated with my brother to the cottage of Amy and Stan Dean in Bradbourne near Ashbourne. We were told by my mother that if we weren鈥檛 happy we were to write a letter and say 鈥榠t鈥檚 very cosy here鈥� and then they would know that there was something wrong and they would come up straight away and bring us home. I never had to write it because it really was lovely. Stan was just putting the bonfire out and was looking very excited. I can hear him now, running in and shouting 鈥榯hey鈥檙e here, they鈥檙e here鈥�. It was like a dream. I鈥檇 never seen animals in the countryside as in Derbyshire before. I was thrilled with the animals on the farm. We had one bag, a change of underclothes, a gas mask no toys, no books. I鈥檝e often seen pictures of evacuees going from London holding teddy bears but we weren鈥檛 allowed to take anything.

I spent 5 years in Derbyshire and it was a happy time. They made me so welcome. Amy and Stan didn鈥檛 have a family and they took me in as one of their own. They really did make a fuss of me, made me feel at home and did everything they could to make me happy. The were a wonderful, wonderful couple.

You always knew when a German plane was near because of the sound. We did occasionally go and stay at a place near Leek in Staffordshire and we heard the sound of them bombing Coventry and Birmingham although we didn鈥檛 know that鈥檚 what it was at the time. You could hear the thudding all night long and that was a bit frightening.

I think they allowed the evacuees to go home in 1942 and my brother went but I was too frightened as I didn鈥檛 like the idea of the bombers going over. When my sister used to come across from Birmingham she said it was the only time she took her clothes off properly to go to bed. You鈥檇 come home from work there and go straight down the shelter and stayed all night.

We went walking, picking flowers or sometimes a game of rounders at the bottom garden. I learned to milk a cow and tickle trout. We鈥檇 listen to the radio and sing all the songs 鈥淲e鈥檒l Meet Again鈥� and 鈥淲hite Cliffs of Dover鈥�, all the patriotic songs that Vera Lynn used to sing for the troops. They were very happy days and a kind, loving family.

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