大象传媒

The morning after Neville Chamberlain鈥檚 speech we went to school as usual and those who were to be evacuated were told to stand aside. As I was going to be evacuated with my sister Lily, I had to go home and wait for her and collect my parcel and gas mask. Once Lily came home, my mum took us back to Camden Street School. Although my Dad was not home and we left him a note saying we were to be evacuated. We were taken out of the gates in New Spring Street, and over the road. Up New Spring Street, right along Clissold St., down Pitsford Street to the Goods Yard in Hockley Station. We were issued with labels upon which our names and addresses were printed. Lily must have done mine, these were tied into the button holes of the boys jackets and to a button on the girls coats.

We were told to wait and not move about. When the train came in we were all ushered aboard and put into the carriages, by this time we had also been given a bag of goodies to eat on the train, but by the time the train had left the station we had eaten the lot! Some children had parents to see them off, we didn鈥檛, there was very little time to say goodbye.

The train journey was long and laborious, we were having a lovely time looking out at the fields, cattle and sheep and generally playing up, running up and down the corridors of the train. The teachers hardly had time to keep an eye on us all. The train finally stopped at a station and told to get off, we found our klater that this was a place called Monmouth. Again we were told to wait, then we were told what was being done with Lily, I went out of the station to see a lont of children getting on to single decker buses. Only about four or five of us were left when all the buses had gone, a car pulled up and we were told to get in. A couple of teachers got in with us and we started a journey again which seemed to go on forever. We finally came to a little village and turned left into a large driveway which had iron gates. Up this driveway we went to a building, which inside had a large hall, there was a lot of hustling and bustling going on, people coming in and taking children out with them. Fairly soo there were only a very few children left, Lily and I being with them, we were taken outside these big gates and the teachers took about three or four each together with a local villager and we proceeded down the road to some cottages.

I was taken in my a couple named Roberts. I enjoyed my time there.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Norman Bailey and has been added to the site with his permission. Norman Bailey fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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