大象传媒

My brother Tom and I were living happily at home in Willow Road, Dartford with our mother when one day we were given the news that we were to be evacuated. I was only 4 years old and Tom was just 6.

There seemed to be hundreds of other children at Dartford railway station when our mother took us there to say goodbye. We were all lined up, wearing our nametags and carrying our gas masks, ready to be put onto the train. Before she left us our mother gave Tom a very stern instruction. He was not to become parted from me, his little sister, whatever happened or where ever we went.

After what seemed like a very long journey the train stopped and we all got off to find that we were going to spend the night in a church hall, somewhere between Dartford and Lancashire. Next day we were off again finally arriving in Lancashire and going to a local council hall to be collected by whoever was going to look after us.

It was at this hall that Tom remembered what he had been told about not leaving me. Unfortunately for us there was nobody willing to take 2 children together and it was not until all the other children had been chosen and we were the only 2 left that finally a lady was persuaded to take us both.

By the time we got to her home, we were both tired and hungry, but relieved at least that we were still together. We thought that perhaps things were not going to be so bad after all; sadly this was not to be the case. Teatime brought us food that we had never seen or heard of before, we were given tripe to eat. Tom was so hungry and more than a little scared that he did eat the tripe as best he could. I tried to eat it but disliked it so much and it made me feel sick. Sadly that was all there was to eat that day and I was sent to bed feeling sad and hungry. Little did I know that next morning at breakfast, there would be my same plate of tripe waiting for me once again, but still I could not face eating it. Sadly for me that was the only food offered. It was the same at lunchtime, I faced the same plate of tripe once again. My ordeal with the tripe ended at teatime on the second day when I was allowed to have other food, but it was clear to Tom and I that the lady was not best pleased with us.

We stayed with that lady for about 18 months and living with her continued to be a most unhappy experience, which I will never forget. Plus I never, ever, want to see tripe again!

This story was submitted to the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War site by Kaye Larkins on behalf of Mrs Dorothy Rainer and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Rainer fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

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