´óÏó´«Ã½

This story has been written onto the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People's War site by CSV Storygathere Ian Hollins on behalf of April Joy Cartmel. The story has been added to the site with her permission. And April Joy Cartmel fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

I was born at Portland in Dorset on April 23rd 1927. My father was in the Royal Navy; my mother was never employed, although she did voluntary work during the war at a munitions factory and V.A.D. work.
I attended the Godolphin School in Salisbury until the age of 11 or 12 and then I went to the Royal Naval School, Twickenham. My younger brother John also went to America with me in 1940. From about 1930 we lived at Aldenbury near Salisbury. During the 1930’s my father was on foreign tours, China Sea and Mediterranean whilst we stayed at home with our mother.
Because my father felt there was a very great fear of an invasion by Hitler it was decided that my brother and I should be evacuated. At that time our maternal grandparents lived in Sydney Australia but because of the length of the trip and possible danger it was decided that the U.S.A. was a better option even though we did not have any family or friends living there. Our evacuation was organised by The America Committee for the Evacuation of Children and was known as ‘The Boston Transcript Scheme’ for the evacuation to Boston of British born children of clerical and professional British parents. At the time it was really all an adventure and I don’t think we were really aware of the enormous step we were taking. We certainly felt that it was only going to be for a short time, not 5 years.
We arrived initially in New York and were accommodated at the New York Mission to Seamen in dormitories designed for men. My main recollection of this time was that there were masses of men’s ‘loos’. Whilst there we were taken to the World Fair which was taking place at that time. We were only in New York a few days and then we moved to Boston where we stayed at the Clift House, Winthrop Highlands, Mass. During our stay there we were interviewed by a Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Hoomis, they had offered to take two children and send them to appropriate boarding schools. There home was a so called farm in East Greenwich, Rhode Island right on Narragansett Bay. After one meeting we were very impressed by their interest and kindness.
The routine was very relaxed, Mr and Mrs Hoomis were very hospitable, enjoying parties and entertaining weekend visitors. They enjoyed sailing, had a very nice yacht in the Suleiman in New Hampshire. We had small sail boats and used these with friends. The only contact we had with our family was their letters, my mother wrote every week. My father did visit the U.S.A. twice during the war and was able to spend a few days with us on both occasions. He was of course on secret Naval Duties but was attached to the Purton Down Experimental Station as it was then known. Everyone that we met was so very nice to us.
At the end of the war, because we were classed as ‘aliens’, we were required by law to return to England as soon as hostilities ended. We were, however, allowed to finish our schooling. My brother returned home in 1945 on a naval ship and I had to wait until the August and came back onboard a Holland American freighter arriving back in Bristol on the day of the Hiroshima bombing.
I have always kept in touch with our ‘family’ and school friends. One of my friends was a bridesmaid at my wedding. We met again at our schools 50th reunion in 1995 and hope to be reunited again in October 2005. I am still in contact with a niece of Mr. and Mrs. Hoomis and I hope to see her again in October. I can never forget the kindness and generosity of all the Americans we met between 1940 and 1945.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.