大象传媒

When the war started I was 11 years old. I came from Spitalfields in the East End of London. I went to Christchurch School.

I went with my two brothers and one sister to Newmarket. My sister was evacuated to Dullingham village and my two brothers and I went to Stetchworth. In total there were 14 of us that went to live with Lord Elmsmere. We didn't live in his big house; instead we lived with the servants.

I had never seen anything like it before. It was just so massive. Each day we went to the village school. I don't think we ever met Lord Elmsmere because it was the servants that looked after us. We were well fed. After a while we moved from the servant鈥檚 quarters to above the garages with the chauffeurs.

Altogether we stayed 3 - 4 months, before we were placed to live with local people in the village. I went to live on a farm with the family named Crick. When I was 12 I started to have time off from school and helped on the farm instead. I liked it on the farm because I liked riding on the horses.
I was living on the farm until I was about 14 years old.

Back in London I worked for a motor car company, picking up and delivering parts for cars and lorries.

It's amazing that I was so young, and doing so much. It's so different to children today.

In a way I lost some of my childhood because I had to work at such a young age, although in some ways this did enrich me.

I did National service till 1948.

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