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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Rachel Conway from Brighton and has been added to the website on behalf of Maureen Blakey (nee Goodyer) with her permission and they fully understand the site’s terms and conditions.

I was evacuated in 1939 with my sister, Honor when I was six. Somewhere on route from Tooting to Goring-by-Sea in Sussex there was an air raid — the siren went off, the train stopped and we all had to get off, line up in a tunnel and put our gas masks on. Not me though, I hated it! My sister Honor tried everything to make me put the awful smelly thing on. She said you’ll see Shirley Temple and Mickey Mouse inside. I wasn’t having any of that and to my relief the ‘all clear’ went, and we were allowed back on the train. But Honor was cross with me and said what a naughty girl I was, so I climbed back on the train in tears. Miss Collis my teacher gave me some chocolate to cheer me up, it did but after a few minutes I was sick down my coat, a little on Honor’s and on the floor of the carriage. So again Honor was least pleased with me as she cleared up the mess. I still don’t know if this was a practice raid or the real thing, whatever it was terrifying.

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