大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Bernie Hawkins and has been added to the website on behalf of Jean Down with her permission and she fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I don鈥檛 remember much of the journey from Barking, Essex to Heywood, Westbury, Wiltshire. The first recollection I have was standing with other children in a school hall. Maureen Miller, a girl the same age as me, was standing next to me, with her arm around me, comforting me while I stood trying not to cry. We were five years old.

Mr and Mrs Muspratt and their daughter Peggy chose us to stay with them. They only wanted to have one evacuee, but decided to have us both. We probably looked so pathetic huddled together.

Maureen and I had a wonderful time. 鈥淎untie鈥� Peggy 鈥� she wanted us to call her Auntie 鈥� was so kind. At bed time, she came up with us, listened to our prayers, tucked us in and kissed us goodnight. She took us on lots of walks, showed us how to make daisy chains, weave reeds to make baskets, told us what we could and could not eat in the hedgerows, told us lots of stories and helped us to write letters once a week to our parents. Big Aunty and Big Uncle 鈥� the names they adopted 鈥� were both very kind.

When Big Uncle came home from work (he was a train driver), he sat down to eat his dinner. Maureen and I stood either side of him. He used to give us some of his meal, first Maureen a fork-full and then me. Why does it taste so nice, someone else鈥檚 dinner?

I had tonsillitis which turned septic, so my mother came and took me back home. It broke my heart leaving those lovely people. When I got home 鈥� during 鈥渂uzz bomb鈥� time, I was so frightened. How I missed Heywood, so peaceful and quiet. You didn鈥檛 know there was a war on there.

Auntie Peggy鈥檚 sister Valerie (who was in the WRAF) got married and had twins. She called them Jean and Maureen.

Some evacuees had a bad time. I wanted to tell you of the good times. Maureen and I didn鈥檛 feel we were a nuisance and in the way. We were loved.

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