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This story was submitted to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War site by Wymondham Learning Centre on behalf the authors and has been added to with their permission. The authors fully understand the site's terms and conditions.

Reminiscence of one of the evacuees housed by Mr Chapman, Wymondham’s Billeting Officer

Betty, Tony and I were taken to West Street Pier, Gravesend by Mum and our aunts. We had a small suit case and our gas masks. We joined hoards of crying children (and parents), and as we boarded the paddle steamer, the Royal Daffodil, each school kept together with their teachers. The eldest child taking all younger ones even though they came from different schools. Whilst on board the wireless was switched off, and we were told war had been declared. There was also a rumour that a submarine had been sighted, but no one saw it. The children were seasick and frightened because we did not know where we were going, and the majority of children had never been away before without their parents.

We landed at Great Yarmouth, and were taken to Lord Swindle school, we slept on the floor. The children were segregated, even six year old boys had to go with the older boys. But the teachers had second thoughts, and we got Tony back. He was only seven year’s old, and he was frightened and crying.

During the night we heard the air-raid siren. We all trooped down to the air-raid shelter. I don’t remember being frightened, we were all giggling and trying to attract the boy’s attention.

Sometimes, either on the boat or at the school, we were given a carrier bag containing a tin of condensed milk, a tin of corned beef, and something else, probably biscuits — emergency rations for wherever we were going.

The next morning we got into coaches, still not knowing where we were, or where we were going. I was lucky at least I knew the teachers, but Tony and Betty did not, and I felt very responsible for them.

We arrived at Wymondham Senior School, where we sat and waited, some children were picked out quickly, but it seemed a long wait to me. Betty, Tony and Joan Target and I just sat there. Then a man (Mr Chapman, the Billeting Officer) said he was going to take the four of us, two to his house and two next door. His wife was helping with taking other children to their new homes, so he got a Boy Scout (Neville) to take us. We walked up the road to a white house and met Mr and Mrs Bailey, the Boy Scout went back.

We went into the garden with Mr. Batley and sat down. Joan started to cry, then we all cried. He said if we stopped crying we would all pick an apple, and then that tree would be ours.

I don’t remember much about the next few days. Tony and I stopped with the Batleys. Betty and Joan went to Mr and Mrs Chapman’s next door. Although Tony and I spent most of our time next-door, I remember wishing that we lived there as well. They were always laughing and having fun.

Looking back, it must have been a great strain on the Batleys having two strange children dumped on them, I know it was a strain on me. One thing I could not get used to, and it was probably a country way, is the front door is only opened for the Doctor and Vicar. We were used to using both back and front doors daily.

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