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[Ronald Eric Gould, born 12/7/1928, was a pupil Les Vauxbelets College, Guernsey, from 1935 — 1942 and was evacuated with the school in June 1940. The following is an edited extract from a typescript he prepared in 2005.]

At this time [late 1940]I had a letter from my mother who had come across to Basingstoke with her mother-in-law and somehow she had managed to find out where the Vauxbelets School had got to,
My mother also told me that Dad had not managed to get away and that my two sisters, who were about 7 and 9 and who had left with Vauvert School were in Paisley, Scotland, so we were very well spread out. [see note at end]

My Mother had told me that her sister and her husband, Mr and Mrs Parsons, had found a home at Horton Bank Top, just outside of Bradford in Yorkshire and at Christmas 1940 I was able to spend the holiday with them and not in billets. The first time I went to Bradford I went by train and travelled all alone. Mr Yearsley took me into Manchester by train and then we walked to London Road Station and he bought me a return ticket to Bradford - I remember it cost 5/6 half fare. One thing that struck me that day was how quiet it was for a busy city, then Mr Yearsley explained that the area was full of Jews and as it was Saturday it was their Sabbath, hence no work and all was quiet.

My Auntie Hilda met me at Forster Square Station in Bradford. We walked along to Tyrell Street and then, a new experience for me, we took a tram ride up to Horton Bank Top and then on to 48 Mandale Road. This was my first visit to my Aunt and Uncle but thereafter I spent all but one of my school holidays with them until I left school. Graham had an aunt in Dorset and I believe he spent his holidays there.

By the Summer of 1941 I had saved enough of my caddying money to be able to go down to my Mother in Basingstoke. It was a very complicated journey by train, I was on my own and was only 12 years old. I was given a list of instructions - the front of the train to one place, then change at so and so, then the back half of the next train and so on. In all I had to change seven times and I remember I arrived in Basingstoke just before 10.00 pm that night. I can tell you my Mother thought she had lost me, anyway I spent the whole Summer holiday there. The place where Mum was staying was called "Vinces Farm, Basing Road" and they ran a log and firewood business and deliveries were made daily by horse and cart and a lot of my time was spent out on the round. My cousin, Bob Gould (or Sykes), had left Les Vauxbelets and was in charge of the horse and cart. Mum was working full time in a Co-op Shop but on her half day she would take me to a cinema and afterwards to a tea shop and we would have a selection of cakes to choose from on the on the table. What memories!

When the Summer Holidays arrived in 1942, as usual I went off to my Auntie Hilda in Bradford. By this time I used to go by bus, I only used the train the first time, it cost 5/6 return Manchester to Bradford, then I found out that the same journey by bus was only 2/9 return and I could get off at a place called Shelf and walk up to my Aunt's estate, a good saving on time and money.

[See also contribution by Jean Taylor and Pamela Gavey, Ron’s sisters, about their time in Scotland]

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