大象传媒

The local people came along to look is over and to subsequently take some. They did ask the children 鈥渨ould you like to come and stay with us?鈥� I think there was a little bit of that apprehension. I think the group was, as in my sister's case, five through to about 13 or 14. My sister and I weren't chosen, as were several other children, so we were then taken in vehicles up to the top of Bowden Hill to the village hall where we again sat around and looked over. My sister and I were chosen by Mrs Crees of the Red Cottages, who said to my sister, 鈥渨ould you like to come and stay with me with? My little girl is eight and her name as Cara.鈥� And I do remember my sister saying she would be quite willing to go with Mrs Crees but only if her big sister Maisie could come too, and so Mrs Crees to both of us. We called Mrs Crees 鈥榓untie鈥�; we called Mr Crees 鈥榙addy鈥�, primarily because Cara was there and aunty used to say to Cara, tell daddy this, tell Daddy that, go fetch daddy, so my sister and I always and forever - and till the day he died when he was quite elderly - referred to him as 鈥榙addy鈥�, but there was never any question of calling aunty 鈥榤um鈥�, 鈥榤ummy鈥� or anything other than aunty. We respected her so much; she was so kind - I would say she was an angel on earth because she did so much good. She baked and she put the dinner in the oven鈥� We went up to the top of the hill for Sunday School at quarter past 10 on a Sunday morning; she'd be up at the church at 11 o'clock for the service, which when we came out of Sunday School, walk on up to St Anne鈥檚, go to church and then we鈥檇 all scurry back and she would have put everything ready and we had our meal within the hour at least and then we would wash up and write home to mum and dad on Sunday afternoon. Then we would go down to the little chapel, which is still there, from Red Cottages to the little chapel, and there was a Mr Watts and family - there would only be about eight or 10 people there and we鈥檇 go back home and have tea and then go up to the top of the health for the third time to Evensong, but we did it and we enjoyed it.

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