大象传媒

My first memory of the Second World War was when my brother and I were visiting my Grandparents in Raynes Park. On the Sunday morning we were in the park helping the men to fill sand bags, when the air-raid sirens went off. It was just a test, but my brother and I didn鈥檛 know this, and we ran back petrified to our Grandparents house, grabbed our gas masks, and sat in the indoor shelter, which was in the Front Room. We must have looked funny, and I remember our Grandparents laughing at us.

My family lived in Avarn Road, Tooting, in South London, and I was one of 5 children. We went to Sellincourt Road School. We were to be evacuated with the second party of children in mid 1940, when I was 7 years old. There were four of us to be evacuated, my elder sister who was 12, my brother who was 10, and my younger sister who was 5. Our parents told my eldest sister that we must not be separated. I remember that we all met at the school with our gas masks, and a carrier bag each, which held our clothes and something to eat. We were put into groups and then onto coaches, which took us to the Railway Station, I think we left from Waterloo. I remember being very excited at going on a train.

After a long journey we arrived at Barnstaple in North Devon, and from there went to a senior school at Wrafton near Braunton, where we were again put into groups. All the other children were going off with people, but as there were four of us we were left to last, and we were beginning to get tired, and tearful, wondering where we would go, as nobody seemed to want us. Eventually a Mrs Steer one of the helpers, who lived in Townend, said she would take us for the night, and we began what seemed to be a long walk into Braunton.

However on the way, near Braunton Railway Station, an elderly gentleman spoke to her who turned out to be a Mr Watts, and he told her to take the four of us to his daughter in Pixie Lane, who might be able to help. We were taken to a lovely semi detached house and were introduced to Bill and Elsie Hancock. They took in my brother and me, and my two sisters went next door to Mrs Kelland (although they later moved on to another family). The next morning we had to write a postcard to my parents. We were told where the post box was, but after walking up and down the road looking for a round pillar-box like in London, we only found a small one in the wall, which backed into someone鈥檚 garden. We didn鈥檛 know how the postman would get the letters out so returned with the postcards. Mrs Hancock took us back and explained how the postman opened the box, and I think they all laughed about it for many years after.

I was very lucky, as Mr and Mrs Hancock, whom I soon knew as 鈥淯ncle鈥� and 鈥淎untie鈥�, couldn鈥檛 have been kinder. They did not have any children, however the elderly man - Mr Watts, whom we first met at the Station, also lived with his daughter, which meant that they only had one spare bedroom that my brother and I had to share. Therefore it was decided that he would move across the lane to Mrs. Held, who had a son. My brother was very happy there and got on well with Mrs Held and her son Reggie. However after my sisters moved from Mrs. Kelland鈥檚 they were billeted with a family in Vellator, where unfortunately they contracted impetigo. Both of them were so ill that my eldest sister spent nearly 6 months in Barnstaple Hospital, and my younger sister was there for almost a year. When they came out they were billeted in the Ilfracombe Road, but my eldest sister was so unhappy by now that she contacted my father, who came down and took them both back to London.

Meanwhile, once I had settled in, my life was heaven. I was to stay with Uncle and Auntie for the next two and a half years and loved them both, and the country way of life. Aunty and Uncle were lovely people, and Mr. Watts - Elsie鈥檚 father, was also nice, although a strict man. He would ensure that I went to Sunday School, and Church. He was employed by the Council cutting back the hedges, so he would make me turn the handle on the grindstone in the back garden, while he sharpened his tools and scythes, before I could go out and play.

I had a lovely bedroom overlooking the fields, which seemed to go on for miles. There was a field next to the house where there were cows. My brother and I had never seen live cows before. Sometimes a horse was also kept in the field that belonged to Dr. Wright. He was also very kind to me, and let me sit on the horse when he moved it from one field to another, or back to the stable.

I was to go to Caen Road School, and I soon made many friends among the evacuees and the local children, such as Freda Conniebeer, Jean and Joan Williams, Florrie Davis, Maureen Watts, and Ann Jackson, to name but a few. I even learnt to milk cows on the farms where they lived.

Sometimes during the week Auntie would meet me from school and we would go round the village shops. Because most people knew each other in the village Aunty knew which shops to go to, where she might get a little extra on the ration, such as a bit extra sugar. If we went to Howards the bakers, sometimes they would give me a cake.

On Saturdays Auntie and I would sometimes catch the train into Barnstaple, and again queue up at the bakers. Because you could only get one cake in a shop, Auntie would go the bakers at one end of the High Street, and I would go the other end, and get a chocolate cake that Auntie would buy - mainly for me.

Auntie had lost her Mother when she was just 10 years old, so she had to cook for her brother and father from a young age. So she taught me how to cook, and sew, and knit, and she was a wonderful teacher.

During the weekends we would often walk over the hills about 2 陆 miles to Uncles relations, who had farms in Darracott. I loved all the animals, and helped to bring the cows in from the fields for milking. On Sunday evenings we might go for a walk round the Countryside.

During the summer holidays I used to do odd jobs for a little pocket money, like getting shopping for some of the elderly people in the village. Often I would get a hot pasty and a drink for doing it.

The best part of the summer was when we would go down to Saunton beach, which was beautiful and sandy. Although it is a long beach, we could only stay in an area close to the rocks, as the rest of the beach and sand dunes were fenced off, and had been mined. However we could go in the sea to swim, which was great. I loved going on the beach, until it was time to go home. Most people used to go to the beach by bicycle, but for us it meant a three-mile walk back to Braunton. If we were lucky, occasionally a car would stop and give us a lift.

By now things were quieter in London and my father came down to take us back home. I now had two more brothers, and my Mother and Father had moved from Tooting to a bigger house Sainfoin Road in Balham. However soon after, the 鈥淏uzzbombs鈥� started coming over. Two fell quite close to us in Manville Road and Cloudesdale Road. So I asked my parents if I could go back to Aunty and Uncles in Devon. Consequently my younger sister and I went back to Braunton once more, and stayed another 18 months, attending the senior school in Wrafton until the War ended.

I was one of the lucky evacuees who loved the Countryside and I was to remain very close to Uncle and Auntie, later taking my husband and sons down to Devon, who also got to know them well. Each year we spent our holidays in Devon and all loved Saunton Sands. Uncle Bill died in 1974 and Aunty Elsie in 1994.

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