大象传媒

In 1940 I was evacuated to Luton in Bedfordshire with the Polytechnic. The reason being I had another year to complete of my two years training as a nursery nurse. I hated every minute of it. I was billeted with a Mrs Reynolds of 21 Blenheim Crescent. I had to share a bed with her two daughters, one aged 11, the other about 23. I was 15. The mother was fat and very old-looking for her years. Her husband was the opposite, thin as a bean. They ran a car, which we went out in on a Sunday afternoon. I was hungry at this billet house. The mother was awful. Her son had been called up for National Service, and she registered this on her face permanently. I went home to London one weekend and never returned. Well, I did return, but not to that house. I told my mother how unhappy I was there, and she got in touch with the school and I was moved to another billet. The second billet house wasn't much better. I was billeted with a young newly-married couple. Their name being Mr and Mrs Holiday. They lived a little out of town. I had more to eat, but I still wasn't happy. They were a very old-fashioned, dour couple. I came home again, and this time, stayed home. I remember the evening we arrived in Luton. We were taken round by the teachers to these addresses of people who were down for billeting. They were paid so much each child. There were three German girls - Lesa Lotter Kunsat, Ursula Cohen and Ilsa Oona. At a quarter to nine that night they were still not found a place to live, because they were German Jews, and nobody wanted them. Then one charitable woman took all three in, because she felt sorry for them. She was rewarded. Those three girls were wonderful. They cleaned her house, cooked, and were a joy to have. Our temporary school was a Baptist Hall.

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