大象传媒

I was only 11 yrs old when war was declared on 3rd September 1939. My mother was ill with TB and was waiting to go into a Sanitorium. She had me to look after and I was due to go to the 鈥淏ig School鈥� and went until Christmas.
It was decided to evacuate the whole school to a place of safety 鈥� teachers as well. My mother would the be able to go away for treatment.
The date was set. The 3rd April 1940 was fixed for our whole school to be evacuated. It was like an adventure for me. Mum had never talked about war although she had already lived through two 鈥� the Boer War and the First World War. I guess it was too horrible to talk about.
Came the big day and we all went to my school 鈥� boys and girls, about 400 of us. We were to go to Victoria Coach Station ready to start a new life in the countryside. We did not know where. We were all in school uniform with our gas masks in a cardboard box slung over our shoulders. Pinned to our clothing was a luggage label, later to be used as the label we would always be known by. A small case or a bundle of clothes and we were off, some tearful at leaving parents behind. Some like me excited at the prospect of leaving home for the first time.
When we went we were not to be with other families to be looked after during the war. We all went together and it was like a boarding school where we would all live together. It was a long journey from the City of London to deep in the countryside.
I shall never forget the sights that greeted us when we reached our destination. The Headmaster and his wife went ahead of us to their new home. It was a bungalow to Tom Hood School camp. The other buildings were scattered about a large field. We were told to have a run around to get rid of our energy. We made our way past the buildings to a spinney 鈥� a large would which was very new to us and unforgettable. It was filled with a wonderful sight 鈥� full of wild spring flowers. There were primroses, violets and anemones and bluebells later.
None of us had ever seen such a sight and I have never forgotten it. The buildings were on either side of a large lawn with a flagpole proudly displaying a large Union Jack. There were long dormitories for boys and girls 鈥� each on different sides of the lawn. We were shown into these which had rows of bunk beds and a room at one end for the teacher. We had to choose whether we wanted to sleep on the top or bottom bed. We had already picked out prefects from school who were older. The school was for boys and girls up to 16 years old.
We had a large assembly hall where we started our schooldays in the weeks ahead. We made good use of this for assemblies every weekday 鈥� some sports or exercises, and in the evening we had a large radiogram for music or the news. This gave us news of what the folk back home were doing. It was a good place to write a letter or do homework and we had PE there.
Firstly we all had to write home to let them know of our safe arrival. This was the beginning of my writing and I have been writing on and off ever since.
The school rooms were situated near the assembly hall. There were mixed classes with a veranda along one side. Teachers were fairly strict and we were never allowed to run along the veranda, and there were blackboards like any other school.
The dining hall was huge with long rows of tables and one at the top for the teachers. Food was cooked fresh by kitchen staff who made good use of all our ration books. It was strange to all of us to eat together. We had a bell that would be rung at the start and end of lessons and meals. Good table manners were soon taught.
I was at this school camp for four and a half years so I grew up there from a timid shy little girl who wouldn鈥檛 say 鈥淏oo to a Goose鈥� to a young lady with good education and full of confidence. As time went on I was elected to be a prefect. We had 4 groups at school called Dickens, Wilberforce, Shaftesbury and one I have forgotten. We had a press secretary, vice captain and a captain. There were some rules to be learnt, but we lived on the whole as one happy family.
In the big hall we spent many hours doing things to fill our time such as debates, spelling bees, acting from a big stage which had a piano and velvet curtains. We learned things we wouldn鈥檛 have learned at an ordinary school as we all lived and worked together.
We had people from London to take exams and did things in our spare time, like holidays, such as picnics and trips to other places. I am convinced that I was lucky as I learnt to be a secretary whilst at school.
We had special Sundays when parents were brought by coaches to see how we were getting on. Not many went home because of the bombing.
I left to be in time for end of war with doodle- bugs. I was a Happy Vaccy!

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