大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War Website by Catherine Plane of 大象传媒 GMR on behalf of Gordon Sharrard and has been added to the site with his permission. He fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

In 1940 when I was 12, I won 'The Challenge' scholarship - and left my Lincoln Grammar School for the contrasting world of Westminster School in London. After overcoming the challenge of settling in to the tough public school environment, we were evacuated to Bromyard in Hereford.

The school was unable to find one building for the entire school to relocate to. So we used a number with each different country house occupied by a different house of the school. The houses span across an area of five square miles, so we communicated with each other via bus or cycle. Some of the houses when we moved in were quite run down - one had a tree growing through the kitchen when we arrived there! But we made do and had fun and many adventures!

One in particular occured on VE Day itself. My year was due to be promoted the next day but for our antics that evening! After dark, my friends and I climbed from our dorm window and down the drainpipe to the ground. We walked 3 miles to Bringsty Common and climbed a big hill. Then we made a huge fire in the bracken. This fire grew and grew, so that eventually a huge area of the bracken was ablaze and could be seen for miles around! A fire truck arrived and lingered at the bottom of the hill keeping an eye on us! It was a prank, but it was our way of celebrating the fact the war had ended.

The boy who chose to stay at home was made Head Boy the very next day.

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