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I was born James Paul John Robinson on 30th April 1933 in London.

On the 3rd September 1939 we were evacuated to Bridgewater in Somerset.
We arrived after what felt like the longest day. At 6am we were on the tube and from Paddington Station arrived in Somerset at 10pm.
We then started our long trek round Bridgewater looking for foster homes. I was 6 years old, my sister Bronwyn was 7 years old and my brother Gordon was 4 years old.
At about midnight they knocked on the door of Mr and Mrs Johns, an elderly couple who owned a bakery and tea rooms and they took us in for 1 or 2 nights.
We were well looked after and I "worked" in the bakery and they gave me a few coins.
They made us welcome.
They kept us until after Christmas 1939.

We were put in a home in January 1940.
The couple lived next door to the cattle market and only took us in for the money.
I remember always being hungry — it wasn't a happy time for us.

Gordon and I were then sent to another home where anything our mum sent for us (like clothing) was given to their own children and we were given their cast off's.

In the early 1941's my mum, gran and new brother Peter came from London and went to live with a couple and my sister Bronwyn went to live there as well.

During this time my father was away in the army and we never saw him.
We had no sweets, chocolates or bananas — we had a deprived childhood.
We were dressed in rags and I only had short trousers until I was 13 or 14 years old.
With my dad being in the army my mum didn't have much money.
If we discovered the greengrocer had a couple of crates of oranges coming in, we would queue all night. Not for the oranges as we couldn't afford those, but for the crates. We would take these home to use as chairs.

We were all living together now.
We were at school in Bridgewater — it was an evacuated school from London.
With the cramped conditions in the classroom it's a surprise that we had an education at all. But there was discipline and the teachers were good.
I loved maths.
In spelling you were given a piece of chocolate or half an apple if you were one of the last two standing in a test. Being one of nine children I used my brain and made sure I was one of them.
I took my scholarship exam and passed and was awarded a seat at a London school — a secondary school.
I had to go to Clapham College —which was evacuated to a Girls School. We shared the school with the girls 6 days a week.

My mum had a few break downs so we spent some time in a children's home.
In between we would gather flowers and fruits in season and sell them around the houses for money for groceries.
All through our evacuation time in Somerset I was a member of three church choirs, a member of St John's Ambulance Brigade and the Sea Cadets. I went to dances and there were a number of cinemas — the Rex, Odeon and Town Hall.
They would show two films, trailers and cartoons.
We hardly missed a show — we would get in even though we had no money.
I had some good friends — Rex Courtenay and his sister Hazel, Clive "Bunny" Davies and Len Beak.

At about 13 years old I realised that I needed money to buy things, for example a bike.
I had a morning paper round and for this would get 2 and 6.
I worked in a shoe shop straight after school and received 4 shillings a week and then I had an evening paper round as well.
I would do all my homework at school before I left and during breaks.
I always met the deadlines and did my work well.
There was no-where to do the homework at home.

There were a few minor air raids in Somerset.
There was one where my mother was living and the bomb didn't explode but just missed the baby's cot and went straight through the floor.

I was very fit since we had to walk everywhere.
I was 15 and a half when I joined the army and stayed in as a regular soldier.
In 1949 my family finally went back to London — the war had robbed me of my life in London.

I went on however to learn and become fluent in 8 different languages.
I have travelled the world and trained and qualified as a quantity surveyor.

This story was submitted to the People's War Website by Lisa Reeves of CSV Action Desk Leicester on behalf of Paul Robinson and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the sites terms and conditions

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