大象传媒

This story has been added to the People's War website by Micheline Stevens on behalf of Patricia Merriman with her permission. Patricia fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

I was rescued from a miserable evacuation 鈥� I was just six and it was the time of the phoney war. Mother and I followed my Royal Marine father to Plymouth. We were there for the Blitz 鈥� mostly incendiary bombs in our area. Nighttimes in the cellar next door were fun for me because the neighbour鈥檚 parrot came too! It was not so good when I got measles and we were banished to our own Anderson shelter. That was when I realised how frightening an air raid was. Things got pretty bad to all the damage. We used candles for light, carried buckets to a standpoint for water and mother cooked on a trivet on the fire. My school disappeared.

In 1942/3 Mother and I lived in digs in Newquay. Lots of sun, sea, sand and Cornish pasties on Saturdays cooked in a big range by our landlady. The only sign of war was the growing number of men in bright blue uniforms. They were wounded servicemen, convalescing.

Father was distressed he was not allowed to fight at the Front. In 1943 his department was posted to Ilfracombe where they took over a hotel, commandeered for the purpose as were many others in seaside resorts. They were later to fill with American servicemen as D-Day approached.

Ilfracombe in 1943/4 was a delight to a 10 year old girl but service people had been torn away from homes and families. My friend Hilary and I got a lot of attention. We made friends with the Wrens at the swimming pool and were taken to tea in their quarters. We used to stand outside the cinema and ask to be taken in if it was an 鈥楢鈥� film, with great success. We did have our own pocket money.

Then the GI鈥檚 arrived. My memories of these young men are that they were friendly and kind to all us children. What bliss it was to be taken to their canteen and fed doughnuts and hot chocolate! We had been starved of such delights. Our greatest treat at this time was to nip out of school at playtime and go to the local baker for a loaf hot from the oven which we ripped apart and shared. And we all learnt the refrain 鈥済ot any gum chum鈥�

Our naughtiest fun came when, dissatisfied with the hotel鈥檚 facilities the Americans erected shower huts on our little local green. It was our habit to walk along the top of the surrounding wall. Imagine what a view we had 鈥� very educational for little girls from a sheltered background and such a giggle. We never got caught! And we never came to any harm, nor did we expect to. Life was very different then. But suddenly they all disappeared so our fun was over. We missed them.

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