大象传媒

I was evacuated twice . The first time was three days before the end of the war. I was 9 years old and living in Walthamstow. My sister, Joyce aged 11 and my brother aged 6 went to our school taking with us our gas masks, bags and given a bag containing a tin of beef, a packet of crackers and a tin of condensed milk to give to our host family. We were not told where we were going. We were taken by train and bus to Oakham in Rutland and were evacuated at Lord Lonsdales' mansion. We were sent to live above the stable block with two school teachers while we waited for our host family to be allocated.
After two weeks we were put into billets. My sister went to live in the vicarage and my brother and myself were sent to a farm. The cottage was called 'Woodbine Cottage' and the lady's name was Mrs. Minor. She was not very kind and had two very big sons who bred black and white dogs. My brother and I were very frightened as the cottage was very dark and dreary. We cried all the time. We were sent to 'Oakham Girls School' which seemed very posh to us. We used to walk across the fields and were there for a 1/2 day, the rest of the time we had somebody to look after us who played with us and sang songs. I don't think she was very old, perhaps 14. After about 6 weeks, my mum came to see us and because we were so upset she took us home. Most of the children went home.
We moved to Dagenham in the December and the following April we were told we would be evacuated again. We went to Eastbrook school in Dagenham and had to report to school every day until we were told when we were to leave. The day we actually left our parents didn't know as we did not return home to say goodbye. We went by bus to London and then train from Paddington. Because there was not a lot of room I was put with the boys school, but was assured that I would be billeted with the girls. When the train arrived in Oxfordshire the girls got off but The Eastbrook boy's school were told to stay on the train. We ended up in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. I was put into a hostel with my younger brother. My sister, Joyce, was taken into Twyning and got chose by Mrs.Young. My brother and I could not go to a host family as we both wet the bed. The hostel was in the grounds of Tewkesbury Abbey, called Abbey Lawn. We were looked after by two school teachers' wives from Dagenham, one of which was called Mrs. Osgod. We attended services at the abbey and were happier than when we were evacuated the first time. We were at the hostel from April until September.
My sister went to Twyning Village, at Church End, with Mrs. Young who lived on a farm in Abbots Court, a 400 year old cottage. She visited my brother and myself every week when Mrs. Young came to do her shopping.
Mrs. Young took me to live with her and Joyce in September and my brother lived with her neighbour. Mrs. Young was a marvellous person and really fussed over Joyce and myself. She was 48 and her husband 41, and didn't have any children of her own, so all of a sudden she had two little girls. She let us dress up and gave us ribbons for our hair.
The hamlet consisted of the church and about twenty houses. There were no restrictions on us children and we had a wonderful childhood, very free and safe. We worked on Hones Farm, planting and picking potatoes, haymaking and fruit picking, in season. I was paid 10 shillings a week, 7 shillings of which I sent to my mum in a postal order. I would go out early in the morning with Dennis(a farm labourer)and he taught me how to trap rabbits and Mrs.Young taught me how to skin them. We helped the neighbours with fruit picking and were paid 3d for this. I also learned how to make cider by collecting windfalls. We went to Pages Farm, where Denis worked and with a combined effort of all the village, all the apples were placed in the press. the juice was put into large oak barrels, which were later shared out. Mr.Young put them into the coal shed and every evening we would go along with a quart jug to fill with cider. Even the children drank cider.
My sister married Mrs. Young's nephew, who came for there for school holidays. They fell in love when he was 15 and were married for over 50 years. I wanted Dennis to wait until I was old enough and then marry me, but he married my cousin instead.
When mum came to collect us and take us home, Denis was so lonely he joined the Navy. he came home on leave to see and Joyce and I introduced him to my cousin, whom he later married.
It was a real wrench going home to Dagenham, but I was more advanced than the others at school as 10-14 year olds were all taught in the same class at Twyning. I went back to Tewkesbury for quite a few years to see Mrs. Young. I went back to see her after I married and had two young babies. She still made a fuss of me.
The experience has left me with a love of the countryside and made me the person I am today.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.