大象传媒

Son of a shepherd, my father, mother and family moved to Lowick in 1936, to a farm on the moors some two and a half miles from the village. It was an all grass farm committed to breeding sheep and cattle to help supply young stock for two other larger farms. My father was entirely on his own except for extra help during the hay making.

In 1938 when the war clouds were gathering I joined the Army cadets in the village which were under the command of my father who was an ex C.S.M. of the Army Physical Training Corps of the 1914-18 war. The boys of my age were issued with uniforms of that era, brass buttoned tunics,"cheese-cutter" hats,shorts and puttees. The older boys had long trousers.

Before war was declared,in September 1939, even I was aware of what was coming. On the first of September,which was a Friday, we arrived at school as usual, the register was called, prayers and a hymn were observed then our headmaster informed us that school was suspended. We all had to return to our homes but would the members of the Cadet Force please report back,in our uniforms, for 11 o'clock.
This I did along with several others, we were then told that evacuee children from Tyneside would be arriving and we were detailed to help with them to wherever they were to be billeted.

Three Northern red buses duly arrived and the children were ushered into our school hall for tea and buns.Some were of my own age, others were much younger. They were truly a pathetic lot, with the elder brothers and sisters trying to comfort the younger members of their families.They were obviously from the poorer quarters of Tyneside,not very well clad and carrying their few possessions in brown paper carriers,carpet bags and brown cases and the ineviteable oblong cardboard boxes with their respirators slung on string over their shoulders and the tag tied to their lapels with their names and addresses.

After being assessed by the local people in charge they were designated to particular houses within our parish. I and a colleague(Gordon)were to go with our teacher, of the junior class,she was a beautiful girl, blonde, and with legs to her armpits and we all had a "crush" on her.She also had a brand new car, a Triumph Dolomite, it was in a powder blue with a great long bonnet and masses of chrome. To be asked to accompany her was the prize of the day.

We started off delivering these kids about midday, several journeys, we picked up the last of them about four o'clock p.m. and dropped them off at one of the most remote farms in the area.We were returning to base when our driver pulled into a field gateway and said we had had a busy day and a job well done, whereon she produced a packet of Craven A cigarrettes and said "go on, have one, I won't tell".

On arriving back at the village we were dismissed, on making my way home I stopped at the village square where all the local Territorial soldiers were congregated,they had been called up for service and were waiting for transport.That was the last I saw of some of them until 1945 as the Northumberland Fusiliers held part of the beach-head at Dunkirk while the evacuation was in progress.

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