大象传媒

鈥淭his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War website on behalf of Bobby Lemmon by Rebekkah Abraham of London CSV. The story has been added to the site with the author鈥檚 permission and he fully understands the terms and conditions.鈥�

Just one of my memories of being an evacuee during the war...

My brother and I were evacuated during the war. The couple who took us in had lost both sons at war, so they were happy to have us. The man was a carpenter who made cabinets. The couple had a routine and my brother and I never left to walk to school before he鈥檇 gone. Consequently we were always late for school, especially as my brother, who was younger than me, dawdled. We鈥檇 walk into assembly and where the headmaster, with his greasy hair, was standing. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e late鈥� he鈥檇 say with a slap around the face. This happened every morning.

The war ended and we received a letter from my father saying he would be up the coming Saturday to take us home. As usual we went to school that week. Wednesday 鈥� slap for being late. Thursday鈥� slap for lateness. Friday 鈥� we walked up the staircase 鈥�. into assembly 鈥�. wallop, bang, crash! I kicked the headmaster in the shin, a punch in his belly, bye bye school!! My brother and I ran out of the building. We spent the rest of the day hanging around until we saw the other boys coming out of the schools and went home.

Then we got a telegram from my father saying he was sorry but he couldn鈥檛 pick us up until next Saturday!! So Monday came and we went to a different school! It was part of a nearby church. So there we were, and what do you know, but the Headmaster walked in!! He saw us 鈥︹�� yet never said a word! To this day I am still mystified as to why he said nothing!!

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