大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People's War site by CSV Storygatherer, Pam McCarthy, on behalf of Kenneth Williams. They fully understand the terms and conditions of the site.

September 1939

We arrived at the station full of excitement. I had just had my seventh birthday. We were being evacuated - a free holiday I was told. A label was tied on my coat. Two teachers and the School Nurse walked us down to the train. I was struggling to carry my suitcase, gas mask and mac. All on the train, doors shut, we were on our way.

We got bored and were running up and down the corridor. I remember the train rumbling over Saltash Bridge. Somebody got the window open. There was pushing and shoving to get a turn to stick your head out for a look. I got my turn and locked my elbows over the window so I couldn鈥檛 be pushed away. Next thing I knew the door swung open and I鈥檓 outside looking in and everybody shouting; 鈥淢iss! Miss! Williams is outside the train!鈥�. Fortunately she managed to pull the door shut before a train passed us. I was told to lay on the seat and stay there.

Later we pulled into Penzance Station. We were hungry. All we had had on the train was 1/3 of a pint of milk and two boiled sweets. We were loaded onto a bus and arrived at St Just-in-Penwith and taken into a room. People were walking around looking at us and our labels. By now we were tired, hungry and frightened. The free holiday in the country didn鈥檛 seem such a good thing. My friend, George Buckley, said to me; 鈥淭ell them we鈥檙e cousins and have to stay together鈥�. At last, Mr and Mrs Williams (no relation) from Blue Rock picked us.

We learned later that Mr Williams worked in a mine at Pendeen. The house was different to ours. It had a lean-to kitchen with a tin roof, 3 Primus stoves on a table for cooking. Water came from a well and the toilet was a stone shed with a bucket emptied by the Council every two weeks. There was not enough room at the village school so we used the basement of the Methodist Church. We soon found there was a tunnel under the steps in front of the church, about 12鈥� square across the width of the church. It was a dare to crawl through and when you got half-way you found a pipe ran across which you had to wriggle over.

One night my Mum turned up. Our house had been bombed and Dad had sent her down. She managed to rent two rooms in a house by the Church Hall, where the A.T.C. met. One night I heard a German plane. I shouted to Mum from the top of the stairs, 鈥淚t鈥檚 German!鈥�, and was told to get back to bed. The next thing I knew I woke up with a black eye. I鈥檇 been blown down the stairs and hit my eye on the front door knob. Two bombs were dropped. One hit a workshop on the lower road behind the house and one in a field in front.

October 1940 - we moved back to London N9. Looking back we had a wonderful time playing in the Pool at Cape Cornwall and exploring Cott Valley.

P.S. 1942 George Buckley lost part of his leg after falling through ice on a lake in a London park. Mr Williams died in the late 50鈥檚. Mrs Williams moved in the 60鈥檚 and I lost touch.

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