大象传媒

WW2 People's War

When the war started in September 1939, I was just 7 years and 8 months old, the eldest of 5 chiidren. Sadly in March of that year my brother Jackie aged only 3 years died. Leaving my sister Lily aged 5, my brother Laurie aged 2 and my baby sister Theresa just 3 months old.

I can't remember the date we were evacuated, but we all left from my school St. Gregory's Scott Street. We all had our little gas masks and a carrier bag containing goodies and a chocolate bar, my school friend Winnie Lawrence and I went on one bus, my Mum and the younger children along with Winnie's mum and siblings went on another bus, when we got to our destination, a place called Haxey near Doncaster, we were taken to a school hall where we waited so we thought, for our Mums for come for us. They didn't come! We found out later on that our Mums had been taken to Boston in Lincolnshire. I didn't see them again for about 18 months. Winnie and I where taken away by different people, but not far from each other, I didn't stay there more than a few weeks as they where elderly and couldn't cope with me as I started wetting the bed, although they where lovely kind people. I was sent to stay with relatives of theirs who where younger and had a daughter Jean my age, Mr & Mrs Carr and Jean were also kind people, Jean and I were good friends but for all that I still remember crying a lot. I missed my family especially my grandma who was always there for us and I thought that I'd never see them all again.

Winnie and I went to the same school in Haxey and were always good friends. My Dad used to come to see me every few weeks when he could afford it. He would put his bike on the train and ride from the station. Through all the sad times I still have some happy memories, I think is this had happened nowadays there would be an uproar on children separated from their parents.

When I finally got home I realised that there was a war going on, I had never heard an air raid siren and bombs dropping, I really missed the peace of the countryside and the security of the other family, I longed to go back away from it all and live a safe life whilst it all passed.

Christina Haldenby

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