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The following story has been added to the site by 大象传媒 Radio Cornwall CSV Producer Nina Davey on behalf of the author Traynor William Bernard. The author understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Not Evacuated

In September 1939 the scouts were camping in Boughton, Manchelsea, Kent. I suggested we break camp and return home to Whitfield 5 miles outside Dover. The pupils of the Dover schools were evacuated. My school at Waldershare, 10 miles from Dover, was for 7 villages and we weren鈥檛 evacuated. Teachers came and taught at each village for three mornings a week using the local chapel.

I virtually left school at 13. I worked for the East and Mid Kent Water Company visiting searchlight AA gun sites and the big guns at St Margarets. Sometimes working on a farm.

From Scouts I joined Dover Sea Scouts, our headquarters was the Clock Tower, this was considered too dangerous so we moved to an old church at the Eastern end of Dover seafront. A shell ruined it, nobody was there when it happened all our boat facilities were confiscated. So our Scout Leader applied for us to become a Sea Cadet Unit. Hence help and advice from the Royal Navy. We moved further up the Dover Valley to River and used a church hall. During this time either 1941/42 I did a PT course at Pitt Street but living in the basement of St Georges Barracks Gosport. Shells and bombs frequently fell but we ignored them and got on with living. One evening cycling home from night school in Dover, a shell fell close by, the earth being soft it went deep exploded and threw up chalk. My mother was annoyed as my clothes were spotted with chalk.

As Dover had barrage balloons protecting it the German fighters came in from the Channel to shoot them down, then the stukas dive bombed the harbour. As the fighters flew in the bullets kept coming we could see the tracers. Once I had a horse and cart collecting worzels and the fighters continued their run inland. As I could see the bullets coming our way I stood behind the horse, my only injury was the horse stamped his hoof right onto mine.

I was with the East and Mid Kent Water Company at the Big Guns when the German ships escaped up the Channel. The delay in opening fire was because the Swordfish Torpedo planes were attacking. The open fire order was given when the guns were at extreme range, much to the annoyance of the Major in Charge.

The German fighters used the Dover Valley to escape to sea. They flew level with our bungalow then dodged around the Barrage Balloons.

Outside the bungalow was a wooden shed which housed a boiler. It was fired on Mondays 鈥� washing day, also in there was a wooden safe to keep food in. One day my mother went to collect the cold meat when the German fighters attacked. She dropped onto her knees pushing the meat in front of her muttering 鈥渂loody Germans,鈥� she got in safely with her meat.

Come February 1943 I joined the Royal Navy at HMS St George, Isle of Man Boys Training 鈥� then to HMS Anson at Scapa Flow. We did three Arctic Convoys. The ship then went to Plymouth for a refit, we left and went to Chatham Barracks. Three weeks later back to Scapa, joined the HMS Duke of York which then came to the Far East 鈥� hence our reunion in Sydney.

I was time served 34 years starting as a Boy Seaman and retiring as a Lieutenant Seaman (PTI). Joined February 1943 retired November 1996.

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