大象传媒

Memories of Evacuation: 1940

Barbara Elizabeth Paterson
Born: 9th October 1926, Petworth, Sussex

Her very own story鈥�

After passing my Scholarship Exam at Lyndhurst Road School (my name was Barbara Elizabeth Talbot & we lived at 187 Lyndhurst Road, Worthing). I went to Worthing Girls High School. I was very proud of the lovely dark uniform I wore and the green blazer with the pink stripe on the pocket belonging to the House of Alcestis. I wonder what the school is like now? Probably a mixed school and is there a uniform?

Our world tumbled around us when War was declared. A map was posted in the main corridor with NEWARK marked on it, a tiny dot right in the middle of our country it seemed. Our parents decided we should leave Worthing because of the bombing 鈥� mostly dropped by German planes returning from bombing London.

My little Brother Leslie, three years younger than I, was allowed to come with me.

I鈥檒l never forget that morning; dressed in our best clothes, each carrying a small case, a label tied to our lapels and of course our gas masks and identity cards. We boarded the long train to start our journey, it was rather upsetting to see our Mum and Dad and many friends waving to us from our allotment near the railway, we didn鈥檛 know when we would see them again. The journey was a day long and I think it was about 6 o鈥檆lock when we arrived at Newark.

The train had to pull in about three times, the platform was so small. I wonder what the people of Newark thought, seeing the long 鈥渃rocodile鈥� of evacuees. We crossed the River Trent and on past the ruins of Newark Castle to the Lilley & Stone Foundation School. Staff and Prefects were waiting for us, with a hot meal; I don鈥檛 remember what we had. Our beds for the night (so we thought) were mattresses laid on the floor of the gymnasium. We settled down but not for long, we heard 鈥淲ailing Willie鈥� our name for the siren and we couldn鈥檛 understand it, we had been brought all this way for safety. I believe Nottingham was being bombed.

The next day after breakfast we were put onto different buses to go 鈥渨e knew not where鈥�.

Leslie and I were put on a Gash鈥檚 bus and started out into the countryside, dropping so many off at each village. We arrived finally at EAST STOKE a small village on the Old Fosse Road about 5 miles from Newark. There were not many houses, two or three farms and a long lane leading to East Stoke Hall and Church, past the W.I. Hut where we were met. I think the worst part was standing there waiting to be chosen it was a very 鈥渓ost鈥� feeling. No one was able to take a boy and a girl and finally we were split up and taken by neighbours, the first time in our lives we had been parted. Leslie went to the village school and eventually to Newark Technical College and after serving with the armed forces in Africa, he then became a tutor at the college (now retired through illness).

Glossing over a lot of unhappy pleas to be allowed to come home, our Mum came to join us and eventually Dad; a Bus driver for Southdown Bus Service came as well and worked for Gash鈥檚.

Back to the last part about school, I was taken to Newark for half day education which we shared with Lilley and Stone, sometimes it was mornings and sometimes afternoon. Eventually Worthing High School returned and I joined Newark. I wasn鈥檛 the happiest of changes as in some subjects I was behind and in some in front. I always felt an 鈥渙utsider鈥�, but as a childish memory I did love the blue blouses instead of white.

To come quickly up to date, I married a young man from Elston, the nearest village. We have been married 41 years now and have two lovely daughters, two great sons-in-law and five super grandchildren living in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire and Hucknall, Nottingham places I had never heard of 50 years ago.

I hope these memories of a now senior citizen may be of interest to you.

Barbara Paterson (Nee Talbot)

At the time of evacuation Granny was aged 15 years and Uncle Les was 12 years. Granny enjoyed telling her stories and we thoroughly enjoyed listening to them. Here are a few memories that she had told my Mum:

Invasion 鈥� she remembered seeing one of the first planes to fly over, she could clearly see the black cross, narrowly avoiding being shot she stood in the street watching the plane and the tracer bullets 鈥� she did not realise what they were. 鈥淭hey were making a pretty pattern 鈥� silvery 鈥� down the street.

Evacuation 鈥� 鈥淚 was horrified when rice pudding was slopped out of a huge, chipped enamel jug; I threw mine out of the train window at the first opportunity.鈥� Granny was horrified that it was chipped, something that her mother would have frowned upon.

I notice she didn鈥檛 add this part to her story. Hope it didn鈥檛 hit any one! Along with this story that my Granny wrote were some newspaper articles for Newark Advertiser, dated 1996 that my Mum had collected, so I believe that she may have written her memories at this time.

Granny and Grandad enjoyed a further 15 years of happy marriage after she wrote her story. This ended when Grandad sadly died a few short weeks before their 56th wedding anniversary.

Unfortunately, we lost Granny a year ago today, I did ask her if I could put her story on the internet for all to enjoy and she very happy that this was possible.

Samantha Foreman (grand-daughter number 4, the grandchildren and great grandchildren have since grown).

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