大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Pat Mantell from Sidley Online Centre and has been added to the website on behalf of Doreen Evans with her permission and they fully understand the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

In 1939 I was 10 years old and went to Dreadnought school in Greenwich.

On this day a double-decker bus pulled up at the school and with gas masks, bags and labelled we were taken to the railway station to be evacuated in Hastings. There we were taken to the underground car park and were issued with chocolate, sugar and other provisions to take to our hosts, I remember eating the chocolate. Then we waited to be chosen by the families.

I went to a Sunday school Teachers home, but got moved on as I was naughty. The next lady I went to was very nice, she had a dog and I loved animals.

When France fell we packed up again to be moved on to Talybont-on-Usk in Wales, to be picked out again by families. I went to a farm which was lovely. I learned to milk cows, feed the hens and to ride a horse.

My father was killed before I came to this place, but I wasn鈥檛 to be told, but found out later though other children.

My mother used to come and visit me with my younger sister whilst I was in Wales, but yet again I had to move on as the climate in Wales affected my health, so went to live in Ware in Hertfordshire and 2 more places after that.

When I got back home after evacuation a Doodle-bug exploded at the end of my garden and flattened a building there. After this My Mother and sister and I used to go to the underground to sleep to avoid the bombs.

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