大象传媒

WW2 Experiences of an Evacuee Chapter 3
By Len Marsh

Chapter 3.
War news was improving with our planes now carrying out air raids on Germany and the Allies advancing through North Africa, Italy and France. I listened intently each night to the radio broadcasts for news of the war. Germany were now directing their newly developed flying bombs at London and South East England. The first type was known as a V1 and nicknamed the 'Doodlebug'. This was because the engine made a load rumbling noise. When the engine stopped it plunged to the ground and exploded. My pals and I counted the seconds, from when the engine stopped to the time of the explosion, as we ran to take cover. The engine of the second version of flying bomb, known as the V2, couldn't be heard as it travelled above the speed of sound. Without any warning a sudden explosion would occur as the bomb hit the ground. Between September 1944 to March 1945 over one thousand V2 flying bombs landed on Britain mainly in London and the South East of England.
At the end of 1943 I was evacuated for the last time to Carlisle, Cumbria. A welfare worker took me to a London railway station and saw that I got on the train. I had my usual suitcase, packed lunch and gas mask I was getting used to travelling by now. The journey lasted all day in a crowded train. I stayed in the corridor of the carriage. My packed lunch was soon eaten but towards the end of the journey a soldier gave me a bar of chocolate, yummy! My foster father this time was a shoe repairer, who had a shop at a crossroads in a local shopping area. To earn pocket money I helped out in the shop and sold evening newspapers on the street corner.
One Guy Fawkes night became exciting, when some children managed to get hold of bees wax from a local factory, to put on a fire made up on a grass space behind a row of houses. There were all sorts and sizes of old tin cans filled with molten wax dotted around the fire. A neighbour, trying to damp the fire down, poured water over the fire. This caused the bees wax to explode, covering everyone with bits of molten wax that solidified on their hair, skin and clothes.
A popular game for the children was 鈥淜nocking down ginger鈥�, that is knocking on people's front door and running away. One night, a man fed up with our antics waited for us to knock, when we did he chased us around the streets. I don't think I've ever run as fast as I did that night, luckily for me I didn't get caught. We didn't play knocking down ginger again after that.
At another time, I went with other children to the railway line where troop trains stopped waiting for the signals to change. If Americans were on the train, they threw out their packed rations to us. There were all sorts of goodies in the packs wrapped in thick waxed brown paper, including chocolate and chewing gum. They made a pleasant change from our usual Sunday tea treat of sugar and margarine mixed as a spread on a slice of bread. "Got any Gum Chum", was a frequent call whenever American troops came in sight. Nylon stockings and Jack Daniels Whiskey were other items the Yanks had to offer, but they didn't interest me at the time!
On March 7th 1945 at about 3.20am in the morning a V2 flying bomb struck blocks of flats known as Folkestone Gardens near the Surrey Docks area of London. Many of my relations were killed, including my Aunt Violet, who came to visit us in Dagenham and Grandma Florence . This was the second worst V2 disaster in South East London, some 52 people were killed and 134 injured in the attack. I remember, about 2 years before, playing on the top of these buildings, in a flat area fenced off for residents to hang out their washing to dry. Today, at the time of writing, the area has been landscaped and used as a park.
During my stay in Carlisle I remember in the winter a local lake was sufficiently frozen to go ice-skating. In summer we swam in the River Eden a local river. By September 1945 I even managed to get a couple of swimming certificates from school. The swim test took place at the local swimming baths, where each child taking the test started one after the other, swimming around the pool. I was so intent on catching the swimmer in front of me, that by the time I caught and passed him I was exhausted and could only swim once around the pool. In the autumn, I went potato picking with other children. Farmer's trucks transported children from Carlisle Market Square to their farms. The pay for the work was about two shillings and sixpence (12 陆p) a day. On one farm, I argued with the farmer about where I should work, because he kept moving me from one job to another. I called him all the names I could think of and walked out back to Carlisle, which was about 5 miles away. After several months other children started to call me "Jock", because of my broad Scottish accent! I even went to watch and supported Carlisle United FC
By May 1945 the war in Europe ended. The July general election saw the Labour Party elected and Mister Attle as Prime Minister in place of Mister Churchill, who was Prime Minister all through the war. In August the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, followed a week later by a second on Nagasakia. Japan surrendered a week after the second bomb and the Second World War was over.
At the end of 1945 I returned to London. Staying with foster parents, just off Walworth Road, Camberwell, while Dad looked for accommodation. A problem I had was making people in London understand what I was saying with my broad Scottish accent. However, after a few months I regained a Cockney accent and was better understood.
The experiences over the period broadened my outlook on life some tragic, some hardships but also some happy times. The most memorable were with the many people who helped me along the way.

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