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This story was submitted to the People’s War Site by Three Counties Action, on behalf of Ronald Earnshaw, and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

My name is Ronald Earnshaw; I was born in Aylesbury, Bucks in 1931. My mother died at the age of 27 when I was 4 years old. I was put in the care of foster parents, but as some problems arose I was transferred to a Church of England home for boys in Leicester in 1937. The home contained approximately 35 boys. I commenced my schooling at the Avenue Road Boys School some 15minutes walk from the home. The Headmaster was Mr. Burgess.

At the outbreak of war in September 1939 the home was on the annual holidays at the Fisher Girls Camp in Yarmouth and was due to leave on this day for the return to Leicester, but due to the troop movements we were unable to travel for two days.
On return to Leicester life settled under the normal war restrictions, ie blackout, food rationing, Air raid drills etc. this period was new to all of us, and seemed fin at times. With the many air raids carried out over the midland during this time we quite often had to get put of bed and go to the basements, which contained the bathrooms, boot and shoe rooms and the boiler room. These were connected by long passageways, which served well as shelter. At least it was warm, due to the boiler room

One night a landmine was dropped, which landed next to the pavilion in Victoria Park. Sometime after this event an army unit was set up in the park with anti-aircraft guns and big searchlights. We used to sneak over to the field cook tent and scrounge bread rolls off the cooks on our visits to the park. I remember the civil unrest that often took place at the large iron gates to the DeMontfort gardens, caused by the conscientious objectors to the war.

A few boys and myself offered our services to the ARP — First Aid Post in Springfield Road, which was just off Clarendon Park Road. This was to act as casualties for the First Aid Unit to practice their skills. I remember we had a ticket attached to our arm, which gave details of our injuries that required attention; this was great fun for us.

LIFE AT HOME IN LEIGHTON BUZZARD
TO THE END OF WAR 1944-45 AND AFTERWARDS UNTIL 1946.

My father was serving in the army and had remarried. My new stepmother had given birth to a son, arrangements were made for me to return home with my new family. This was to help out and be company for my step mother.

I left the home in July 1944 and was put on a train to London in charge of a guard, to be met in London by my father at the Station Masters Office as, I had not seen my father since leaving home in 1937.
After meeting we travelled by train to Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire. My new home was 62 Clarence Road, Leighton Buzzard.
This was a strange experience for me, but I soon settled down to my new way of life, I was enrolled at the Beaudesert Senior Boys School to complete my education. After a short time I settled in to my new school. Due to the war the teaching staff had a very difficult time, with only thre teachers. Some day’s only two teachers were available, so they had to divide the school into two sections between them. At this time the Headmaster was Mr T. Booth accompanied by Mr T. Pacey the handicraft teacher and Mrs Butcher. Later we had a new teacher a Mrs Cooke who was absent a lot, due to health problems.
Under the dig for victory campaign, we had two garden plots for growing vegetables for the school dinner centre at the old Institute Building in North Street.
The garden was at the rear of the institute in Dogget Street.
We had to carry all the garden tools from the school to plots as no sheds were on site. The other plot was by the side of the Pulford School in the Leighton Recreation grounds.

We had to carry our gas masks everywhere we went in a small square cardboard box. I remember on one occasion, we had to go to the old poor law institute in Grovebury to test out the gas masks in a special gas chamber.
Monday May 7th 1945. a radio announcement in the evening stated that the unconditional surrender of Germany was imminent.

Tuesday May 8th. After the previous evening radio announcement very few pupils turned up for school, registers were not marked. The staff and pupils who did were given the day off. School to reopen at 9am on Friday 11th May. I left school and started work in 1946.

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