大象传媒

In 1940 I was evacuated from Essex to a small village in Oxfordshire called Long Hanborough, fortunately not with strangers but my grandparents Alf and Millicent Gibson in Church Road.
Just a few years ago I commited my memories to paper and called the book "Happy Days", a complete contradiction considering what was happening at that period in the countries history.
As a nine year old then and now sixty years later, thinking back they were the happiest days of my life,the contributing factor I think was there were very few men left in the village to tell me off if I got up to mischief helped to make my time there idealic, only the Blacksmith and a couple of farmers and they, no doubt had more important things to worry about, plus my schooling was a bit hit and miss, I spent more time in the wooods at Mill Wood End and down by the river, illegally fishing than I did at school. "Just William" with a cockney accent, that would have been an apt description of me during those early days.

A true story from my book: After a few weeks settling in, my cousin George and I joined the local scout troop, that was the summer of 1940. My brother Peter was born at the beginning of 1940 so stayed with my parants in Essex until he was "House trained" then in 1943 was dumped on my gran and I was expected to take care of him during his waking hours. One Sunday evening George and I accompanied by young Peter strolled down to the river where the senior scouts were having a weekend camp. George called one of his friends over and asked what they had had for lunch "a young kid" was the reply "It was delicious". Peter grabbed my hand and hid behind me shaking, at three years of age living in Dagenham, how was he to know goats had "kids".

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