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This is Lorna Clark’s story: it has been added by Pauline Colcutt (on behalf of the Fernhurst Centre), with permission from the author who understands the terms and conditions of adding her story to the website.

EVACUATION BLUES?

When children evacuated during the war many were sent in large groups to the country, however, if the child was under five their mother went too. My sister and I were sent with my mother in a train load of similar groups to live in a small Devonshire town. Unfortunately the inhabitants were expecting only children and were not inclined to open their homes to other women!! So we were all escorted to the town hall to spend the night while the muddle was sorted out. We were provided with navy blue coloured blankets and had to sleep on the floor. In the morning the ‘locals’ came round to inspect us and chose the ones they liked the look of to offer them a place in their home, like animals in the zoo. The category of woes wasn’t finished….during the night the dye had come out of the blankets and we ended up varying shades of blue!! Our mother, my sister and I were very fortunate, a lovely couple very soon spoke to my mother and offered us a home. They kept cows and had a kitchen garden, so my abiding memories of the war are raspberries and fresh cream…when I can forget the doodle bugs!!.

Lorna Clark

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