大象传媒

EVACUATION

3rd September 1939 (age 9 years, 9 months)

Evacuated with pupils from New Road Primary School, Chingford, London E.4. With my sister Joan (age 7 years) and my brother George (age 5 years, 6 months).

We were taken to Ramsey, near Harwich, Essex, in a fleet of red London Transport double-decker buses. The sirens sounded at 11am and our fleet of buses stopped by the roadside in the Northweald or Ongar area. This was the signal that war had been declared. All 3 of us were billeted with 2 kind and charming single ladies who lived in The Mill House. The mill was still a working windmill. We were with these ladies for about 6 weeks and were very happy after the initial homesickness. However, the 3 of us together were probably too much of handful for them and we were split. George and I were then billeted with an older couple in a bungalow on the main Harwich Road. Joan was placed not too far away in the village.

I can recall George and I were happy. Our foster parents were Mr and Mrs Dawson. They were very kind. They had a large plot behind their bungalow and kept rabbits and chickens. We were given our own rabbit each to care for and used to help feed the chickens and collect eggs. I still have photos of the two of us with our rabbits.

In the early summer of 1939 I had an operation to remove a cyst from behind my left knee. The wound had not healed properly and the foster parents had to take me into Harwich on several occasions for further treatment.

Other recollections are that we only went to school in the mornings. The local children attended in the afternoon. The village school was too small for evacuees and local children. The first German magnetic mine exploded off Harwich, sinking a British ship whilst we were there. We also saw a few German planes before our parents in London; they were probably on reconnaissance missions.

I had one serious brush with authority as I was caught by a local farmer emerging from a newly made haystack in which we children had made tunnels. Both locals and evacuees. I wet myself when he grabbed me as I emerged from the stack and he marched me back to his house. He kept me standing in a room for about an hour, then I had to write a letter to my parents and schoolteacher admitting what I had done.

April 1940

The Allies were losing the battle for France and the east coast of England was soon to become vulnerable to sustained German air attack so we evacuees were taken back to our London homes and the end of the school term.

May 1940

After the Easter holiday at home in Chingford we were evacuated again. This time to New Bradwell, near Wolverton, Buckinghamshire. (Now part of Milton Keynes). Joan was billeted with a family named Kirk who had a daughter of her age. George and I were billeted with a family in the same street, New Bridge Street, about 50 yards away. Again we attended the local school, I think we started on 陆 days but after a few months the arrangements were re-organised so that we could attend for the complete day.

Whilst at New Bradwell School I took and passed the scholarship exam (11 plus equivalent). My parents had to select which school in our London area I would be taught at and they chose the Sir George Monoux Grammar School in Walthamstow. This school had been evacuated to Lucton and Leominster in Herefordshire so to avoid any further disruptive moves arrangements were made for me, and a few other successful evacuees, to attend Wolverton Secondary School. We started there in September 1941. This was a co-educational school whereas Sir George Monoux was for boys only. I attended this school until the end of the summer term in July 1942.

Joan and George returned to the family home in Chingford either at Christmas 1941 or Easter 1942. I returned to Chingford in July 1942.

RETURN TO LONDON

September 1942

The Sir George Monoux School buildings had been commandeered by the military at the end of 1939. They handed them back to the local authority in the spring of 1943 and, meanwhile arrangements were made for pupils who had returned home to attend other local Secondary schools in the immediate area. I was sent to Chingford County High School, a newly built (1939) co-ed school in North Chingford.

September 1943

We were able to return to the Sir George Monoux buildings in September 1943.

August 1944

In August 1944 London and the South East of England were suffering attacks by German V1 Flying Bombs 鈥淒oodlebugs鈥� and subsequently V2 Rockets. These were frightening! The Doodlebugs had a distinctive throbbing engine sound and when it cut out you knew it was diving to earth to explode. You just prayed it wouldn鈥檛 land near you. The V2 Rockets just arrived and exploded without any warning. The noise of the explosions was terrible. My Mother and we 3 children were invited by her Aunt May who lived in Grimsby to spend the school holidays with them. Her husband was Manager of Barclays Bank in Grimsby and they owned a large house. They had no children but two spaniels.

GENERAL

From July 1942 I lived at home with my parents, sister Joan and brother George in South Chingford,East London. (Apart from the few weeks stay in Grimsby). We experienced many air raids although not of the same intensity as during the 1940 blitz. These mainly occurred at night and we slept either in the Anderson Shelter in the garden or, if the weather was very cold, crammed together under the dining room table!

When I was 14 I started delivering early morning papers. I used to collect the papers from the Newsagent Shop just before 7 am and arrive back home about 7.45 for breakfast before setting off for school. There were a number of occasions after an air raid during the previous night when I would find a bomb had dropped in one of my roads. Of course, there were always pieces of shrapnel lying about and once a crater with an unexploded bomb being guarded by police and Civil Defence personnel.

I had joined the Boy Scouts (14th Highams Park troop I believe) in 1942 and then later the local Army Cadet Company which was associated with The Essex Regiment. I was encouraged to pass tests to achieve a Certificate which would improve my chances of promotion when called up for National Service. I enjoyed playing soldiers, drilling and the spit and polish but was pleased the war ended before my call up time came. Nevertheless the experience probably helped. Although I failed a selection board for potential officers in 1948 I did get promoted to full Corporal. Sadly to be demoted within 6 weeks 鈥� but that鈥檚 another story.

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