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This story has been added to the People’s war website by Jenny Burnett on behalf of Joan Waddleton. Joan has given her permission and is aware of the site’s terms and conditions.

I was eight in 1939, an only child of very protective parents. We lived in Essex, in the North Weald near an aerodrome. Father was the General Manager of a ‘shadow factory’ which made batteries.

So when war broke out I was scooped up and put in a small boarding school in North Wales. They drove me there in an old car - it was a fraught journey. I didn’t see them much for about 15 months. The school was in a village on the coast and we were scattered around living in houses. It was about 1½ miles to walk to school. I had very bad chilblains and would put blotting paper on them. There was only one member of staff who showed and tenderness and she left three days after my arrival!

The Matron made us take cod liver oil and malt. The summer of 1940 was hot and they had turned black. I was sick every morning and have always been affected by the sense of the taste and smell. We would be given cold meat and pickled onion for lunch - I used to cut it up and hide it. Once I talked after lights out and was left in the dining room for three hours on a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do. There was no way of telling Mother - letters were checked. I used to wet the bed, but I would use my teddy bear to mop it up and would squeeze him out in the wash basin.

When I was nearly 10 I had measles, mumps, German measles, chicken pox and whooping cough all in a year. I was still ill with the last two when the holidays came and they wanted to close the school. I was put on a train for London, alone. It was a terrible journey. My Grandfather met me in London and we were jammed in a crowded train carriage on the way to Berkshire until I coughed. Then everyone left the carriage and we were left alone! While I was recovering, we used to go on walks together and listen to the birds. I have written poetry since and one is about this.
At 12 I was sent to Cheltenham Ladies College. We were totally restricted. Pat Arrow smith (very active later in CND and the peace movement) was in the next house to me. When the war ended the headmistress didn’t tell us until the next day. She said Mr Churchill would want us to stay put, to keep up the fighting spirit. We were told to keep indoors and not to go into the town to celebrate. Pat Arrowsmith just went anyway. We saw nothing. She was suspended but still allowed to take her Higher Certificate.

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