大象传媒

I was born Florence Elizabeth Mary Cook on 21st April 1926. (Incidentally, the same day as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.)

One event I still remember as if it were yesterday was the time myself and thousands of other kids were sent from their home to strangers - that was over 65 years ago, on 1 September 1939.

I was 13 years old at the time, so did not really understand much about politics, only that there was some trouble brewing between Germany and most of the rest of Europe and there may be a war. At school, before the summer holidays broke up, we girls were given some white fairly thick material and for our needle-work lessons we were shown how to make haversacks. Mind you, nothing like the fancy things one sees today, these were all sewn by hand and in fact looked really rough, but us kids were proud of them. We'd never had a haversack in our lives, as we all lived in the East End of London - a really poor area then; most Dad's were out of work in the thirties.

Anyway, to get back to 1 September 1939, as I remember, it was a Friday. Our parents somehow or other received word that those who wished their children to be evacuated (God knows where) were to send them to school as usual, plus some clothes and any toiletries they may have - i.e. comb and brush, toothbrush if you were lucky etc - there was no shampoo or de-odourant then - you'd never even heard the word, let alone what it was! Also we had our gasmasks in a cardboard box with a bit of string to put it on our shoulder. On arriving at our classrooms, we were each given our lovely haversacks and packed our pathetic little bundles in them. We were each given a label to pin on our coats, with our names on. Perhaps the powers that be thought we did not know our names or would forget them.

When we were all ready, we were marched down to the play ground to await the rest of the classes. When all was mustered, off we went out of the school gates to form a crocodile to the underground - Old Street station. Lots of parents lined the route all crying for their kids. I had said goodbye to mine at home and I can still remember even today, my Mum and Dad standing on the balcony of the old buildings waving goodbye. They must have been very brave to let me go, not knowing when we should all meet again. I know one thing, I could never have let my children go away like that. You can imagine what a pathetic lot we were - parents crying - kids crying - and the teachers trying to keep order.

When we finally all got on the tube train, it landed us at Edgware. To us that was in the country. A large train with a steam engine came along which we were all somehow pushed on. After a couple of hours, it stopped and we all got off. The sign on the station said Kettering which meant nothing to us - the farthest I and many others had been was days out to Southend. On enquiring of a porter where we were, the answer came back "you'm be in Kettering". One of the more outspoken among us came back with the reply "we can see that - where the bloody hell is Kettering?" That was a real good start for the locals to meet us Londoners.

We were all lined up crocodile fashion again and taken out of the station to awaiting buses. By this time, I suppose it would be early afternoon. We all piled into them and set off for our final destination.

It was a small village 2.5 miles away called Broughton. The buses stopped at the village hall and we all went in. We must have looked a sight. In there, we were given a small parcel with a tin of corned beef and a tin of evaporated milk. These we had to give to the people where we would be staying in case they had not got anything in for us to eat. We were also given a postcard to post home to our parents once we had been found places, so as to let them know where we were and could write to us.

Eventually, we were all put into groups of about 20 and with a couple of ladies, probably WVS, were taken along the village to the awaiting landladies! The children were gradually dropped off - one here and two here etc. There was a lady standing by her gate with a pram and a 2 month old baby. She asked for a big girl to help with the baby so it was decided I fit the bill and I was quite pleased as she looked very kind. They also had a big dog like an Irish Setter, so I was well away there. I got on with Mr and Mrs Ison and baby June very well. They were very good to me. Actually, most of my friends were well placed in nice homes - I don't think any of them were badly treated - if they were, I did not know. Really, it was like a holiday to me - having a room of my own and waking up to see the fields and gardens from the window.

War was declared on the Sunday, and all the kids were worried about their parents if London got bombed. However, London did not get bombed until September 1940 - so we all worried for nothing.

When it came to the Monday, we were told to meet at the village hall in the afternoon. This we did and were told that we would have to share the school with the local children, mornings and afternoons alternate weeks. I don't know if the school was really too small for all at once, or the parents of the village children did not want them mixing with a lot of scruffy London kids. Anyway, we didn't mind because the period we didn't have school we had the village hall and that was great. We had all sorts of things. Dancing lessons, music, games and even cards. I think they tried to teach us whist. There was also the village green to play on, that had swings. Sometimes there were rows and fights as to who got on the swings, but I think on the whole when we got to know each other we became friends.

Sunday lunch was quite a thing. Most of the village people used to take their bit of beef with the Yorkshire pudding in the tin down to the bakehouse. Whe the joints were cooked, everyone went down to the bakehouse to collect their dinner - that was called "pudding time". They even called "pudding time" in the pub which promptly emptied. I have never tasted roast beef and yorkshire pud like it. The only thing was, you had the pudding with gravy first, and then the meat and vegetables after. You were nearly full up with the pudding, so you didn't want too much meat and veg.

We got to know our teacher very well as she was in the same position we were. She took us to the pictures into Kettering as she did not like going on the bus and to the pictures by herself, so Rene and me did alright as we were the oldest kids there.

In the following year when it came to April, I was 14 and wanted to come home as there had been no bombing and 14 was the age of leaving school.

When I did get home at the Easter holidays, I was told I had to go back to school in London until the school year ended in July. When August came, I got a job in the large printing works and that was the start of my working life. (Been working hard every since!)

Florence Cook

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