大象传媒

I was born in Gravesend in 1927, one of nine children, and my father was an undertaker. When the war was declared I was one of the first batch of children that was evacuated from Gravesend, on the Thames estuary, to the relative safety of Norfolk. We sailed from Gravesend on 3rd September on a paddle steamer called the Golden Eagle arriving in Yarmouth late the next afternoon. In fact war was declared while we were at sea so I remember leaving home in peacetime on and arriving in Norfolk on the first day of the war.

I remember bits of the journey on the boat and that we slept on straw-filled sacks on the floor of a school somewhere in Yarmouth on that first night away from home. The next morning we were taken by coach to Wymondham in Norfolk. We arrived at the secondary school and were made to sit on the hall floor while a lady sorted out where we were to go. Eventually my name and my brother, Charlie鈥檚, names were called. We were given a bag of rations to take to the people who took us in and it had milk, biscuits, sugar and so on in it.

We went to stay with Mr and Mrs Peace who lived in Friarscroft Lane, next door to the Regal Cinema. They were older people and their son Jack was a policeman. They made a great fuss of us and we were very happy there. It was a nice change to be one of two children in a family instead of one of nine! Mind, I missed my parents terribly, though Charlie who was only nine seemed to take it all in his stride. We got letters from home every week and some pocket money and our mum and dad came up with a coach load of other parents on a couple of occasions which was great.

Our two sisters, Sylvia, who was thirteen and Irene who was only seven lived in the house just the other side of the cinema with a Mr and Mrs Kerrison. Mr Kerrison was a builder and both the girls were very happy with them, too.

Charlie went to Browick Road school and I went to the secondary school. We made lots of friends and used to play out with a crowd of other boys. Our favourite place was a piece of waste ground known as Ollie Moor鈥檚 just down the road on the way to the station between the old cattle market and the Norwich road.

I was only in Wymondham for about two years until 22nd November 1941 as my dad needed me back home to help him in the business. I enjoyed my time in Wymondham and it had another good spin-off for me. A few years after I left, at a party, I recognised a girl who had been one of the evacuees from Gravesend, like me. We got chatting and things went on from there. We鈥檒l have been married for sixty years next year!

We now live in Suffolk and often go up to Wymondham for a day out. We will always be grateful to the people of the town for taking us into their homes and taking such good care of us. After 60 years, we still remember your kindness. God bless every one of you.

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