大象传媒

Dennis is a spritely 71 year old who kindly agreed to talk about his memories as a child during world war 2

Dennis was born and brought up in Islington, and was living in Clarence terrace when the war broke out. His earliest vivid memories were of the Blitz. In particular, the bombs that fell on Killick street, and Copenhagen street. As a child of seven, it often felt as if the war was one big adventure. The bomb sites were real adventure playgrounds to all the kids. Dennis, being a mischevous lad would usually get a ticking off from some irate ARP warden or policeman.

Like many London children, Dennis was evacuated to rural areas in 1939, before the end of the Blitz. He first went to Lincolnshire, and stayed on a farm with a family who had two children. Unfortunately, the family didn't show any warmth or affection to him. Dennis felt that they only took him because of the money given to families that looked after evacuees. So our boy ran away! However, he was found on his first day 'on the run' while trying to follow the local railway line all the way to London.

After a brief return to good old Clarence Terrace, Dennis was evacuated to sunny Cornwall, where he spent a wonderful eight months in Cambourne. For a city boy, he took to the change of scene like a local, and got on well with his new school mates. Although the Dennis streak of micheavousness persisted, and he would occasionally get into trouble with his school teachers.

After eight months, Dennis had to leave because the father of the household where he was staying, fell seriously ill. So, in 1941, Dennis was evacuated to Blackburn, Lancashire where stayed for the rest of the war.

The home in Lancashire proved to be particularly nice. It was just Dennis and his wartime 'mum'. Her husband was fighting overseas. One fond memory from this period, would be the weekly walk every Sunday from Blackburn to Darwin, which was a good few miles. Darwin has rugged terrain like Exmoor in Devon, but Dennis really enjoyed these weekly walks with his 'Mum'.

Dennis must have been a fairly resilient, happy-go-lucky lad, as he never felt homesick, and he told his Mum not to bother writing to him, as he would be no good at replying! She did visit him a few times, and he had two sisters who had also been evacuated to nearby villages in Blackburn. So he would visit them regularly. Dennis' father was serving in The Royal Artillery in India, and he didn't see much of him.

When the war finally ended in Europe in May 1945, Dennis like other evacuees returned to back home. Although he was a bit sad to leave his Lancashire Mum, he was really looking forward to see his own Mum and Dad, and home at dear old Clarence Terrace.

After leaving school, Dennis went to work on the railways, and was based at King's Cross. He regularly visited his Lancashire mum, and as sign of the affection between them, she named her first son after him.

How many ordinary folk like Dennis are out there with extraordinary stories waiting to be told?!

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