大象传媒

Before I tell my experiences I must come forward in time to when I was a parent with children of my own. I realise how heart breaking it must have been to part with your children and not know where they have gone to, or who was looking after them. Would the people, who looked after them, care similar to the tender loving ways of my mum?
At about this time I read an article in a newspaper written by a psychologist about the effects the evacuation had on the children and said that they would carry the trauma of being parted till they die. The psychologist鈥檚 report stated that the children would suffer from being deserted by their mothers, for not being there when they needed them most. Even today when I see photographs of evacuees inside of me there is an affiliation and a sadness of what they and I went through. Some had love and affection, some had no love only rejection and some died without ever seeing their parents again.
Setting off to school that particular morning was no different than any other morning. Mum helped to dress me making sure my gabardine raincoat was belted, but not too tightly. I had my gas mask and my cap in place. The one thing that puzzled me was that I had a label tied to the buttonhole of my coat, and I was given instructions not to take it off. Then it was off to school with my older sister, who was not being evacuated. The walk to school was about two miles away, which was just like any other day. My school was Sacred Heart in Mount Vernon Street in Liverpool. I have no recollection of any assembly or walking to Edge Hill railway station. I have seen a photograph in the Liverpool Echo showing a column of children walking down Wavertree Road. The children were filled with excitement. I am sure because we were going on a train that we had never been on before.
My next memory was sitting in this carriage with long seats facing one another, with me was my cousin who was the same age. We had grown up together day by day. We were all very happy as the train travelled away from the city and into the countryside. Most of us had never seen this area. We were singing the songs of the time at least the ones we knew. We were singing 鈥業t鈥檚 A Long Way To Tipperary.鈥� When we came to the part were you say, without your mother, we started to cry. We all began feeling down hearted and the train journey was no longer fun. It seemed like hours were passing by. We went over a bridge that I now know is 鈥楾he Runcorn Railway Bridge.鈥� The next stage of our journey
was upon us, for we all disembarked and on to this deserted railway station and told to form up in twos. We were then marched away. We all became excited as we entered a cinema where we all thought we were going to see some movies, but again another disappointed. As we sat in our seats we noticed that doors on the side of the aisle were opening and one by one the children were coming back to their seats. It was our favourite nit nurse and doctor checking us out, before letting us loose on the country folk.
By now it was becoming a very long day for children so young, however, that did not stop what was going on. My cousin and I went into a canteen, of some description, with the rest of the evacuees and were provided with a meal. I noticed that there were lots of women in the room and slowly the room seemed to be emptying of children. It was about this time that my cousin and I became very frightened because we did not like what was happening. Then came the worst moment of my life. They came to take us away. My cousin and I clung to each other as hard as we could. We both screamed as loud as we could,but to no avail.They pulled us a part and my cousin disappeared
from my view. I was now totally alone. My last contact with my natural world had been dragged away from me and I was only six years old
Later that day, in fact, it was dark. I ended up in a car with six other kids. I think we were the last of the school to be taken away. A lady drove the car and every now and again she would stop the car at a house and ask if they would take an evacuee in. After a long time we ended up with three in the car, a brother, his younger sister and myself. We ended up living next door to each other, but I was last to be dropped off. The memory of that first encounter remains firmly in my mind. I can remember standing with my back to the living room wall. I now had what I think was a rolled towel under my arm. Sitting in a slouched position in an armchair, in front of the fire, was the man of the house. What he said to me shook me then and now. I still wonder whether he was joking or serious. He said, 鈥淒o you want a cigarette?鈥� Some people will say that it was a joke, but after living
with them for sometime I am not sure.
So began my new life amongst strangers. The family consisted of two boys and a girl who were all older than I. Their father was a coal miner. There is no doubt that I was treated as an outsider and didn鈥檛 belong there. Every night I was sent to bed at seven o鈥檆lock to be locked in the bedroom, but given hot milk with sugar in it. I told them that I didn鈥檛 like sugar in my milk, but they kept putting it in anyway. The only redeeming thing about going to bed early was there were lots of Rupert Bear books which when reading them gave me a nice cosy feeling inside of me.
Then came a time when we all got lice in our hair. As I came from a clean home this was terrible. I felt dirty and unclean and was ashamed for what my mother would say if she knew. On one occasion that stuck in my mind was the time the woman (of the house) went to town and brought back painting books for her children, but there was nothing for me. I just had to look on.
Next, I was off to school, but not sure how far away it was. It seemed to be between three to four miles. We had to go a cross fields with cows in them. As city people we were never sure if they were bulls or not. Then, we had to go over a main road and walk down another long road till we arrived at a hall where the school was being set up. It was there that I met up with my cousin again which was just great. He was living in a big house with a man and woman who gave him lots of love and he was very happy. Sometimes the teachers would turn up and sometimes not. We would often be left to our own devices when there was no school. My cousin and I used to wander up and down the country lanes and I can remember chasing bees and trying to extract the honey from their hives.
On one of these school mornings the lady of the house gave me a piece of cake and told me not to come home before five o鈥檆lock. While not in the house it was adventure time when we met up with all the pupils from the school, who lived in the district, would play in the land in front of the colliery. It was while playing there that a spitfire flew overhead. We all waved to the pilot. He waggled his wing in recognition and did a victory roll over the top of the colliery-winding wheel. Unfortunately, he crashed and killed himself.I always think of that pilot even today.Another episode I remember concened another plane.
It was around two o鈥檆lock in the morning when we became aware of the drone of a German plane. It appeared to be lost. The family were very excited because they had never heard German planes before. Everyone was dragged out of bed to look. I remember standing at the front door looking skyward trying to make out where the plane was. Suddenly, two searchlights were switched on forming a crossbeam and in the centre of the beams was a Messerschmitt 109. Within a minute a shell was seen to fly up the beam and hit the plane underneath. The plane burst into flames. The beams were switched off, as soon as they had come on.
On one of the days that we were unable to go to school my cousin and I were playing in the lanes. We ran up this little hill which was in fact a railway bridge. On the other side were my mother and my cousins鈥� mother walking towards us. They gave us a bar of chocolate each. That was one of the greatest days of our lives. How they found out were we where is a mystery to us, but to meet on top of that bridge, at the same time, was uncanny. It was not long after this incident that my mother and auntie came to live in the next village, so that they could be near us.
One day, while playing on the field near the colliery, I saw my mother coming towards me. There are no words I can say to describe that moment. She had come to take me to where she lived in the next village. It was just great. However, when it was time for me to be taken to the bus stop to catch the last bus back. She put me in the hands of the son of the family she was staying with. I don鈥檛 think she could face the heartache of sending me back. Whilst waiting for the bus to arrive I took off and ran into the woods. My charge was trying his best to catch me, but it took him a while. By that time my bus had gone so they were left with no option but to keep me there. While staying in my new home mum and I used to travel back home to see Dad who was working on the docks. I mention this because the journey back to where we were staying was another experience. We would leave home and catch the underground train and get off at Bidston Railway station. It always seemed to be around midnight. Standing there waiting for the steam train we would see the guns on Bidston Hill. They would fire at the incoming planes. It was a sight to behold. When we boarded the steam train we were always afraid that the enemy bombers would see the sparks coming out of the funnel. After all the hardship of evacuation we returned to face all the big air raids. We were in Liverpool when Prescot Street was blown up and also when Clint Road school was hit. When Clint Road was bombed. The bombs came down in 鈥榮ticks of eight.鈥� I believe our street was hit by part of that stick which killed four people.
A little rider to this story, little did I know that my future wife was on Edge Hill Railway station at the same time.

鈥楾his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by 大象传媒 Radio Merseyside鈥檚 People鈥檚 War team on behalf of the author and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.鈥�

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