大象传媒

I was almost six when I was evacuated from Coventry to Atherstone. I lived with a couple and her mother, who I called grandma whilst I was there. I was separated from my brother and was not allowed to see him. We would sneak out at night and see each other as we were very homesick. I remember always feeling starving. I only had one hot dinner a week on a Sunday. For my lunch everyday I was given boiled rice with jam and my dinner consisted of bread and jam. I had to go to church three times a day. On Sunday I would run home from church in hope that my parents had visited. My parents often visited on a Sunday but sometimes didn鈥檛 make it, this would worry me as I feared they had been hurt.

My time in Atherstone was awful. I was subjected to mental cruelty. I remember I had a hole in my stockings and the family ignored me for weeks on end because of it. I would hang onto there legs screaming and crying begging them to speak to me but they persisted to ignore me. After that if I ever had a hole in my stockings I would hide in the bathroom sewing the hole up before they noticed.

I remember feeling so homesick and at one point suffered from a sort of breakdown as I found out my parents had been taking my brother home for weekends. This really upset me. However, I did have a lovely childhood. I was a real family girl. I loved being at home with my family, giggling with my two sisters and two brothers.

I eventually left Atherstone and was taken to another family with other evacuee children in Priors Marston. The family who took us in were not bothered about us. We were so unhappy that one night me and a group of the other children decided to run away back to Coventry, but we didn鈥檛 get very far so turned around and walked back to the house. When my parents visited on a Sunday they were never allowed in the house they had to speak to me in the garden.

The day it was announced the war was over there was flags out of every window in celebration and bonfires everywhere. There were lots of street parties and we visited the pictures to watch the news with the royal family on it celebrating. There were rumours that the Queen and her sister Anne had snuck out into the crowds to celebrate with the public. It was such a fantastic time. We had gone from complete blackouts during the war to lights everywhere in celebration. It was lovely.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Krysten Hall CSV 大象传媒 Coventry and Warwickshire volunteer on behalf of someone wishing to stay anonymous and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

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