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This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer on behalf of Enid Jerome and has been added to the site with her permission. Enid fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was twelve years old when the war began. I lived in London in Highgate. We had been preparing for the war for twelve months. I remember going to Golders Green to be issued with a gas mask. I was very upset when my baby cousin was placed in his baby mask. My aunt told me I would have to help with pumping it if she got tired. At school each day we practised for evacuation. We walked to Highgate Underground station and we were timed. We were issued with a knapsack that our mothers filled with sandwiches and fruit and we had a case at school with clothes in. The mothers came to watch each day in case we didn’t come home.
In July 1939, I went into hospital to have my tonsils out- complete with gas mask. After a short time my mother came and took me home because the hospital could have been evacuated and she would not know where I was. We were very aware of the approaching war because of all the preparations — masked windows and air raid shelters. My father kept a wet blanket by the door for use in case of a gas attack.
My father had an offer to send my brother and me to America with a work colleague but then my aunt in Reading offered to take us. We were put on a train at night at Paddington in the complete blackout. My father asked a young officer to ensure that we got off at Reading. My aunt was there to meet us. We went to school at Battle, half day schooling because of the evacuees.

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