大象传媒

As the train drew out of the station bound for an unknown destination and crowed with children, some excited but many crying, my mother stood with other parents also crying. Her last words to me were 'Look after the children Heather and see that you keep together.' Late that after noon we stood, a group of about twenty children, in a village square which felt a thousand miles from home. The people in the village came and chose who they would take to their home. I stood with my younger sister and two young brothers defying all the efforts of the billeting officers to separate us. Needless to say we were soon the only ones left as no-one would take four evacuees. As it began to get dark and we were all tired and hungry the boys were getting distressed so eventually I had to agree to allow the two boys to go with one sister while my sister and I went with the other sister; they lived in adjoining roads and guaranteed that I could check on the boys every day.
One day some weeks later I was looking after 'my' three children and the two children of the household; I had the wireless on and heard the ominous words 'We are now at war with Germany'. When I heard the sound of a rattle I knew that that meant a gas attack so I pretended we were playing a game as we all put on our gasmasks and kept well away from the window. When nothing happened I looked out of the window and was surprised to see people walking by. Telling the children to stay were they were I opened the door to find out what was happening - the first thing I saw was the kitten playing with a paper bag - my 'rattle'. So began the next six years of my life which were filled with fear, excitement, elation, disappointment, cold, hunger, tiredness and gratitude.
My one ambition was to become a physical training teacher but I knew that there was almost no hope of that because it would take several miracles. Firstly with my father in the army and being the eldest of four children I knew there was no possibility of the family being able to pay for me to go to college, secondly I would have to pass all the exams to get School Certificateand, quite apart from the fact that what lessons we did have were held in church halls, the library and the staff dining room of a local store, sitting throughlessons in academic subjects had always been to me the price I willingly paid for the joy of doing gymnastics and playing games so I accepted that I had no hope. But the necessary miracles did happen. I was surprised one day to be interviewed by an army officer who then said that if I was offered a place at college the army would pay my fees. That left the problem of School Certificate; During the geography exam - my weakest subject a bomb was dropped in a field nearby. This was reported to the examiners who obviously thought that all the rubbish I had written was the result of shell-shock so I passed.
Although I was thrilled to be at college I could not allow the country to win the war without my helpso I went to join the Women's Auxiliary Airforce. Reading through my application the recruiting officer said 'I see you are at a teacher training college - that is a reserved occupation so I cannot take you; come back when you are quqlified and I will try and get you into the Education Corps.' Undeterred I tried the army and navy but with the same result. In desperation I tried the Land Army; the retired army major there said 'By law I cannot take you but I tell you what I will do - at the end of each term give yourself two days to see your family then report here and I will enrol you in the Land Army until two days before the beginning of the next term.' So three times a year for the next three years I was sent to various farms where we worked from dawn to dusk. Inevitably I was tested. At one farm the first job I was given was to take a massive bull to the neargy river to drink; Fortunately a friendly farmhand whispered to me 'Put three fingers through the ring on his nose and if he gets difficult just twist it slightly and that will control him' Determined not to show how scared I really was I set off but when we got to the river I did not dare to let go off the ring so I had to walk into the river with him.
After qualifying I got a job in a London school. I had to report to the headmistress each morning and was given a list of the names and addresses of girls who had not come to school; I had to cycle and check on each one of them. Usually their absence was due to tiredness because of the insistent bombing but occasionally I found they had been injured and had to find to which hospital they had been sent. Because the gymnasium had been bombedshortly before my arrivalI had to walk each of my classes to a church hall about a quater of a mile from the school. At the beginning of each day I put the gym apparatus in a line away from the windows and whenever the sirens sounded the girls had to crouch behind them while I stood in front to protect them from broken glass! King Canute was not the only one who thought he could hold the tide back.
I was on a camping expedition with a group of girls when we heard that peace in Europe had been declared and that there would be no more bombing. The only way we could think of to celebrate was to go to the nearest village and dance round the lamp-post.
it is now nearly sixty years since that day but the experiences of those years have influenced the rest of my life. I learnt to appreciate being able to live without fear for myself and my family and friends and realised how much more important people are than things. Although I am glad to have learnt these valuable lessons I am truly thankful that my children and grandchildren have not had to experience the fear, stress and hardships of living through a war - long may it continue.

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