- Contributed by听
- 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk Action Desk
- People in story:听
- Mrs Joan Denton nee Middleton
- Location of story:听
- South Wales
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A6207121
- Contributed on:听
- 19 October 2005
When the war came the Government ask people to have evacuees. My Nan and Granddad said if we have to have one. Nan said, 鈥淚 am having one of my Grandchildren鈥, so, I the middle one went to South Wales. Mam and Dad took me to London Paddington station, I was only about 5 years or 6 years, but they put me on the train on my own to meet my Nan at Cardiff station. Now in today鈥檚 world you dare not let them outside, let alone go on a six hours on a train. No corridors. Sat in the corner of the carriage. I think mum asked a couple to watch me. It seemed forever getting there. I got to Cardiff, my Nan was there. She was a lovely lady, she taught me a lot and I learnt to sew, which helped me in later years. She took me to the bus station and took me up to the Valley (20 miles) on the bus to where she lived and where I was born. I think it was an Easter and I stayed there till August. I went to school there. We had to say our class no., in Welsh. I can remember it I believe now in my later life the no. of my bungalow but Nan looked after me well. I loved her. Cooking on the fire, she was a lovely cook. I am glad she chose me. So, through the war I went to the village I was born in. This went on through the war. She was such a lovely Nan and Granddad worked in the mines. I used to go up the road to the mine to meet him. I only knew his lovely blue eyes, because they all came down together, no showers in those days, tin baths, or if like Nan鈥檚, a brown bath and a boiler. Life then was very hard. They dug the coal out to keep the country going, so they were doing their bit in the war. Granddad used to grow vegetables, his new potatoes I never have tasted any like again. Yes, war years horrible, my dad in the army. He was in the Royal Artillery, they were the men who shot the enemy planes down in Britain, and when he got posted to Wales I used to see him. He got 48 hour passes and I saw him. He went to see my other Grandparents in the next village, because that鈥檚 where my parents started their lives. Yes I had bad memories of the war, but the good ones carried around all my life.
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