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When war was declared in 1939 I was 10 years old. My parents were glued to the wireless and I remember the posh voice of the announcer struggling to be heard through the crackling noises it made.

With great speed arrangements were made for children to be evacuated. We lined up outside of the school, St Andrew’s, Holborn, London, to be sent away from all we knew and loved. We boarded our transport and crowded at the windows to wave goodbye. My mum was crying.

We arrived at our secret destination, which turned out to be Croxley Green, near Watford, Hertfordshire, all of 20 miles from London! We used to stand outside in the evenings and see the sky glowing red from the fires in London.

The children and 2 teachers, Miss Smith and Mr Marriot walked up and down the roads, the teachers knocking at the doors and asking the tenants if they could take in any evacuees. Eventually, there was only me and another girl, Irene Sedgewick, left. My teachers laughingly said I would have to be billeted with them and I could make them a cup of tea in the mornings. I was terrified! At last we found a home with Mr and Mrs Morley.

Some of the older children were absorbed into local schools but most of us were taught in a church hall. We sat a trestle tables and a poor teacher was allocated 2 or 3 tables to teach.

When Irene Sedgewick became 14 she immediately went back home. I hated being on my own and arranged with another girl, Beryl Powell, to run away. However, she did not turn up at the station so I decided to go alone. I arrived in London and felt hopelessly lost. Fortunately, I had an Uncle, William Malkin, who I knew had a telephone so called him. My cousin, John, who was on leave from the army came and collected me and took me to their home in Barnsbury Street, Islington. Uncle Bill and his family were moving to Biggin Hill, Kent and had a daughter, Pat, my age and so offered to take me with them.

We went to a small country school in Jail Lane with an inspiring Headmaster, Mr Uden. When I was nearly 14 he asked my parents if they would let me sit an examination for Bromley Commercial School. They agreed and after written and oral tests which were frightening — a panel of 6 ladies and gentlemen at one side of a long table and little you alone on the other side taking turns to ask you questions, 2 of which are indelible in my brain —

1. If a coalman can carry a 1 cwt sack of coal for 10 yards how far could he carry 20 cwt?

2. If you drop a stone down a well and it takes 10 seconds to reach the water how long would it take 2 stones?

I won the scholarship and went to this wonderful school from where you could expect to get a job in an Embassy, the Foreign Office and the Houses of Parliament etc. But unfortunately, my parents decided to move back to London. When the school authorities discovered I was travelling to and from London each day they said I could not be allowed to stay at the school.

My dreams of a glittering career were dashed.

N.B. This story was added to the website by a staff member at Sprowston Library, Norwich, Norfolk with the permission of the writer, Irene Abney nee Chambers.

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