大象传媒

鈥淭his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anita Howard Essex Acton Desk CSV on behalf of Peggy Ivory about her father and has been added to the site with her permission. She fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.鈥�

Evacuation from Dagenham, London to East Dereham, Norfolk

Here is my brief account of my evacuation from my home in Dagenham to East Dereham in Norfolk.

There were evacuees who left their homes prior to the outbreak of the 2nd World War. The children from Fanshawe School in Dagenham were of this group.

We resumed school from the summer holidays on Tuesday 28th August 1939. It was my first day in the Senior School. We had intelligence tests prior to being allocated to our Form but none of my class group was ever to see our Form or Class Master.

During the latter part of the morning the Headmaster 鈥� one Mr Allen 鈥� attempted to broadcast to the school over the somewhat unreliable radio system our reporting instructions for the following day. We had to be at our school complete with clothes, gas mask, school cap and food at 4.30 a.m. on 29th August.

Some several hundred children from the infants, junior and senior schools assembled and at 4.30 a.m., in two ranks we marched from the school along Parsloes Avenue which was lined with parents, mainly Mums who, for some reason were crying. To us children this meant nothing as we did not realise the full significance of the situation.

We each had a luggage label with DAG 16 printed on it and two to three miles later we found ourselves at Thunderer鈥檚 Jetty (Ford Motor Company Dock) where I boarded the 鈥淕olden Eagle鈥� ship and our parents were left behind us as they were instructed at Parsloes Avenue.

Our ship took us to Great Yarmouth and we were accommodated at the North Denes Junior School right on the sea front. The days were very sunny and a marvellous time was being enjoyed by us all 鈥� bathing, beach games, good food and lots of fun (Thursday 31st August to Saturday 2nd September). Then Sunday 3rd September we all had breakfast and were told that we were not to go bathing in the sea, no questions asked. At about 10 a.m. we were gathered in the hall, sang a few hymns and some national songs and our masters and mistresses that accompanied us from Dagenham thanked the local Headmaster and staff for their generous hospitality and, after three cheers, we then had a cup of tea and a biscuit. It was then that I was informed that the War had been declared by the Prime Minister (Sir) Neville Chamberlain.

In the London areas things started to move in arrangements for transporting (other) evacuees. We were in Norfolk with the last part of our journey to come. No time was lost. Before we had any time to think, all of us were marched to the coaches that had arrived from out of the blue and again told to STAND STILL, DON鈥橳 MOVE AND NO MESSING ABOUT!!

I remember seeing the infants boarding the coaches and it was time that I realised what Evacuation was all about. Standing near one of the coaches waiting for her teacher was a little girl of about five years old. Suddenly she just broke down and cried 鈥� how sad it all was.

Our time came to board the coaches and, as we boarded, we were given a box containing Corned Beef, Condensed Milk, Evaporated Milk, Chocolate and Plain Biscuits, two bars of Chocolate, Barley Sugar Sweets and a bottle of Lemonade and
finally a kiss from a lady that provided me with the victuals, for she was a member of the W.V.S. I worked it out that her mouth must have been sore after giving us a hug and a kiss for 200 or so senior boys. We didn鈥檛 look like senior boys because we wore short knee length trousers.

After a hot and sticky journey we alighted at a playground (very small) by the Bishop Bonner School at East Dereham. There we were herded like cattle whilst men and women came along and chose their charges. 鈥淭wo boys please about 8 years鈥�, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want girls鈥�, 鈥淚鈥檒l have a couple of lads 11 years upwards- they can help out on the farm鈥� or 鈥淒oes he or she wet the bed?鈥� 鈥淲hat school are they from, I prefer a Grammar School child鈥� and so it went on.

From 3 p.m. the numbers were dwindling fast. As each child or children were, on finding a foster parent told by the masters 鈥淏ehave yourself, no misconduct, you will be told where to attend school, do what these kind people ask of you.鈥� 鈥淩ight/鈥� 鈥淭hen off you go鈥�. Some children did not have kind foster parents as was originally thought.

My friend and I were called by my Headmaster and instructed to 鈥淕o along with this gentleman, behave yourselves and remember the good name of your school鈥�. The gentleman (as indeed he was) took our carrier bags of belongings, put them on his cycle and walked us to his home. There I was to stay for three or more years. After meeting his wife, a lovely person, he sat us down and asked if we could write (what does he think we are?) Good, then here is a postcard and two 陆 penny stamps. The address is:- Mr. and Mrs. Bennett
24 Theatre Street
East Dereham
Norfolk

After writing to our parents he went to post the cards whilst we were treated to a bath, followed by a tea, then at 7.45 p.m. we were put to bed. Needless to say at 9.30 p.m. there were still a few children tramping the street trying to be accommodated. This was most sad to see these children walking the town trying to find a billet. I learnt the next day that all had been found a place; the last child had been billeted at 11 p.m.

Evacuation to me was the happiest years of my childhood but it has its problems inasmuch that the question of divided loyalties and instability arises and it takes a lifetime to overcome it; after all in those years I was taught to become independent, to work for a wage (errand boy for ten shillings a week) and the better values in life.

Leonard Ivory

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