大象传媒

I was evacuated to Chirk somewhere around May 1944 and stayed there until the end of the war. This was just after the V2 rockets had started, so we had lived through the doodlebug period, one of which I had actually seen. It must have been a stray as this was mid afternoon, where they normally didn't arrive until after dark.

It was a terrifying time of my life as I was then 10 years old so life and death meant something.

Some of my recollections of the evacuation are understandably a bit hazy, but I remember being taken with a packed suitcase and gas mask, labelled and with packed sandwiches for the journey to one of the local schools. There must have been over a hundred children there with their families to see them off. Nobody knew where we would end up, but we children thought we were going to the seaside somewhere.

We were piled onto coaches then travelled to London's Paddington Station to board a train. The journey was long, with one fairly lengthy stop, we were told that it was because there was an air raid on.

We arrived in Chirk early in the evening and were taken by coach to the village hall where tables were laid with sandwiches. Then we had to sit on a raised platform to await some kindly adult to choose us. My elder Brother Harry was a bit tearful and he was picked first, but he insisted that he wouldn't be seperated from me. I recall that they said they were only going to take one child, but quickly agreed to take us both. So began our year with the nicest, kindest couple it was our good fortune to stay with.

We must have been taken to their house by taxi, but as we got outside the hall a fair haired young lad spoke to Mr and Mrs James saying that he would call for us the next morning, that lad was George Porter. We have met George quite a few times since, in fact he is always our first port of call whenever we have revisited Chirk.

I can remember waking up the next morning and looking out of the window seeing this great pair of wheels slowly turning, and beyond it a great black mound. This had been Chirk Colliery which by then had been worked out. We would often see the miners gathered a short way down the road going to the nearest working mine at Ruabon. Another thing I remember of that morning was our gas masks being taken from us and being told that we definitely wouldn't need them again. It had been pure bliss to sleep peacefully all night without the sound of guns, bombs or doodlebugs to disturb us.

George Porter did call for us the following morning, but I cannot remember where we went, quite probably to the recreation ground which was next to the James's house. The 'rec became a favourite playground for all of the children in the near vicinity. There were swings at the bottom end and a see-saw, whilst at the top end were two roundabouts, one open iron structure like a partially opened umbrella without the material and with seats around the bottom part and the struts joined with a bar running around it. The other was a solid round affair shaped like a thick flat cheese with a running board around the bottom. Finally there was a set of parallel bars to swing on. The top end of the 'rec was mainly of short grass which served as a football pitch in the winter, and a cricket pitch in the summer.

A footpath ran alongside the 'rec, the other side of which were some allotments. In the games of cricket if you were unfortunate enough to hit the ball behind you onto the allotments you scored 6 runs, but were given out.

The 'rec was where we met other children, notably Heather and Ann Stokes to whom we became very attached. Heather, I have always considered to be my first girlfriend, but it could only last a year, but I didn't know that at the time. Her great friend was Norma Butler whom I have since 'met' through Friends Reunited. Heather I have spoken to on a few occasions on the telephone, but we have at the time of writing not met again.

One other person we played with was George Rowland whose Father was the local undertaker. It was fascinating to go into his Dad's workshop to see the newly made coffins.

Chirk is now much changed from that time, but the surrounding countryside is very pretty, and Sunday morning was always a time when Fred James would take us on long walks, usually with George Porter as well. It was on one of these walks that I saw my first curlew, a wondrous sight as it swooped across a valley giving it's ditinctive call. Fred worked for the Coal Board and I think some of the time he was looking after their interests in inspecting certain areas which they may have owned.

I remember one Sunday we went to the manor house belonging to the local Lord of the Manor, Lord Hill-Trevor. His Lordship was delighted that morning as he had just found a false chimney in the property. I am not sure what significance it had, but it certainly pleased him. We had to be on our best behaviour, and not to speak unless spoken to, and then to call him 'Sir'. Mr James was very deferential towards him.

But most of our 'exploring' was done with George. Favourite haunts were places like Chirk Castle. In those days there were no treasures on view, and there was nobody to stop us wandering around at will. I remember going down into the dungeon which was just a round room with a bare floor. I think it was the servant's quarters which had been taken over by a family of evacuees from Carshalton as I do remember visiting some of the boys there.

Another one, which we weren't supposed to go to was along the towpath of the canal tunnel which ran under the approach road to the castle, from there the towpath continued over the aquaduct which crossed the River Ceriog valley, that part wasn't out of bounds though. Then of course there was the ultimate forbidden territory, the mine slag heap. This was a great mound of unuseable material dug out with the coal, but great fun to young boys which they could climb up, and then slide down the side. Not very good on shoes and short trousers!

One of my favourite walks was down the valley and alongside the river Ceriog. The road downwards takes a sweeping curve, but we always took the shorter route over a stile at the top and straight down the side of the valley to another stile at the bottom where we would cross the road and over yet another stile to the side of the river. Half way along the meadow the aquaduct and viaduct carrying the canal and the railway line crossed the valley. These structures were about 100 feet high, marvellous pieces of work. Generally speaking though we didn't go beyond these. It was along this stretch of the river that we had picnics during the summer.

One of the things I learnt from Fred James was a love of gardening. Not only did he tend his own, but he looked after the garden of Bessie James family who lived diagonally across the road from their house.
They were both fairly large gardens, but there were two sets of Adults to feed from them, most of both gardens were taken up with vegetable growing. We also used to visit his Mother's house which was the other side of the valley as they had a number of apple trees which Fred, with our help, harvested. They also had a very large, but old, bulldog but I do remember we steered clear of him.

As with it seemed most families, everyone went to Church or Chapel, Bessie James sang in the choir of the Church. We used to go to Sunday School, then with Fred James to the evening service. From where we sat Bessie James could look down on us from her position in the choir. The choir stalls were up the stairs next to the organ. There was always a sermon during that service, and that was the signal for Fred James to bring out the boiled sweets, I am not sure if that was to take his, or our, minds off the drone of the vicar's voice, but that was the most enjoyable part. Before I leave the subject of the Church, I must mention Nancy Hulse who occasionally played the organ. Although we weren't supposed to, she did let us come up to the choir stalls. I can still hear her playing 'Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring', still one of my favourite pieces.

So far as Sunday was concerned, the Church and Chapel goers went their seperate ways, but I do remember Heather challenging me one day to go to Chapel with her, but I thought that would have been a step too far as I am certain that neither Mr or Mrs James would have approved!

Schooling was very different to what I had been used to, in my school at home there were about 30 pupils to a class, all roughly the same age. In Chirk, it was so different, 3 classes in the same large room which made concentration a bit difficult. In total there were again about 30 pupils, but at 3 different levels. Nevertheless I suppose I learnt something. One thing surprised me, I was invited to sit the 11 Plus exam. When I said that I had already taken it at home, I was told that I could take it again. As I had already passed it once I found it no effort to pass it again. The war ended before I could take my place at Oswestry Grammar School, so my parents merely had it transferred to my preferred one at home.

There was one amusing thing that happened, amusing to me that is, the arrival of a double decker bus going past the school. This caused great excitement among the pupils who had never seen one before!

One not so amusing thing though which got me a good telling off. I had written an affectionate note to Heather which she passed around her class. Her teacher just happened to be Mary Hulse, Bessie James Sister! She was not amused.

I have nearly come to the end of my story, and a very happy time in my life in stark contrast to the trauma of the war. It is impossible to thank enough the families who took us into their hearts, the Porters, the Stokes, Fred and Bessie James and their families and others too numerous to mention. God bless every one of them,

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