大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War Website by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of Margaret Clarke and has been added to the site with her permission. She fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

In 1939 it was the start of the war; it must have been quite disturbing for our parents, but at 7 years old, I didn't realise the dangers that were ahead. The first thing we knew my brother Derek and I were being evacuated. He went to Darley Dale and I was sent to Wilmslow. I can remember being taken to a school room, where the children were assembled, then being chosen by Mr and Mrs McLardy. They also took Laura Topping and Winifred, whose surname I can't remember.

The house we were taken to was very large. We had two maids Nellie and Mary, they mostly looked after us. We had our meals with the maids in a large kitchen, which had bells all around the walls. If a bell went off, one of the maids would be summoned to where they were needed. Also there was a large brass gong in the hall. In the mornings you were awakened by the first gong, but you weren't allowed to go down for breakfast till the second gong rang. This was nothing like we had been used to at home.

One night Laura was taken very ill with diphtheria, and had to be rushed to hospital. That meant we had to be isolated. Winifred was allowed to go home because she had no brothers or sisters at home, but I had to stay because my younger brother Graham was at home. It was a very lonely few weeks. That's when I got home-sick. I then went home, but the problem was there was no school because the teachers were still away with the evacuees. That meant we were given homework each day.

The next thing I knew I was off again. This time I was sent to a farm with Pat Green to Rainow near Macclesfield. What I remember mostly was the toilet. It was an outside shed with three bins with wooded seating over them. Pat and I would sit side by side and read our comics. We must have been very brave, because the smell was dreadful; they were emptied about once a week. The people we lived with were called the Wheeldons. There were the Mother and Father and two sons. It was quite exciting at first living on a farm. We had to walk to the village school, but most days the plumber or farmers would give us a lift. It wouldn't happen in this day and age, people were much more trustworthy. We had our teacher from home teaching us, so it didn't seem strange. Then came the snow; I had never seen snow like it before. That meant we couldn't go to school, we had to make the best of the days sledging down the hills, and on the farm the people, who took care of us, did their best to keep us occupied.

Then came the news that Green End School in Burnage had reopened, so we were allowed back home with our parents. It was great we had so much to talk about when we met up with our school friends. We all could tell a few stories that had happened to us. Nobody was as glad to get home as my brother Derek. He didn't have a very good time in Darley Dale. He was sent to a village store, where he was made to work delivering orders on a bike with a large basket on the front. He didn't get any rewards for his hard work. They had a son of the same age, but he didn't have to work, I bet they were pleased to get an evacuee.

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