大象传媒

This contribution to People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf Pat Beazley

At the age of 9 years and 10 days and after the school summer holidays, sitting in the classroom with our backpacks around the room we were marched to the local station (London Bridge) put on a train and off we went. No one knew where we were going. That evening a notice was put up on the school gates at home telling parents which town we had ended up in. When we arrived at Seaford Station we were marched to a school hall where there was a billeting officer, Medical people and as many townspeople who could cram into the hall. We lost all our dignity when we were given medical examinations in front of everyone. We were then sorted out as to who would go to which home, many brothers and sisters were billeted miles away from each other. Just in case there was no food at the houses to which we were sent, we were given 鈥渋ron rations鈥� consisting of a tin of corned beef, digestive biscuits and a bar of chocolate.
My brother and I refused to be separated and we were taken all round the town begging people to take us in. Mrs Iles who took us was one of the best billets we had all through the war. You will realise from this statement that we had more than one billet as evacuees during the war!

Following the fall of Dunkirk and the threat of possible invasion all evacuees were again moved, to what was thought to be safer place. June 1940 this time we knew we were going to somewhere in Wales. On the journey the train was split into two and so some of our friends went to another town and we lost touch with each other. Our billet lady was ill, which was not good for us as we did as we pleased, 6 weeks later we were back home in London.

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