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Mary, my mum, was only nine when the war started. She lived in Swindon, Wiltshire and can remember the evacuees arriving at Swindon station from London.
She was one of seven children, and even though her parents put a card in the window to say that they would welcome a child to stay with them, the authorities felt they already had a house full.
Mum remembers one lad in particular called Gordon, he was housed a few doors away. She says he didn’t have any roller skates so she shared hers with him — they had one each!
Many years later I was working in the new computer department of RHP in Stonehouse, Glos and a new manager was transferred from the Chelmsford, Essex branch. We held an open day, mum came along and much to everyone’s surprise she and my new boss recognised each other as the two friends who had shared a pair of roller skates…….

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