大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War Site by Carol Corney (volunteer) of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Jean Ward (author) and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Before war was declared, it was decided to offer evacuation from large towns and cities likely to be targets for bombing to all children under school-leaving age. Children under two years of age would be accompanied by their mothers. The first evacuation occurred on September 1st and we were told that it was to be a trial, for 2 weeks only.

On Sunday 3rd September at 11.00 am the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, announced on the radio (no TV in those days) that we were at war with Germany, and so we knew that we would not be going home. However, by Christmas, nothing seemed to be happening in Britain and so we all went home again! It was nick-named 鈥淭he Phoney War鈥�. We did not return to our original schools, however, but to the nearest one to our own home, and attended only for a few hours each day.

In May 1940 our parents sent my sister and me to Gunnerside, N Yorkshire to live with our grandmother, and we attended the local village school. Term finished early so that we could go and help bring in the crop of hay, and each evening we could ride the cart horse up to the grazing pasture 鈥� great fun!

In September 1940 my parents came to fetch me back to Newcastle to start at the Grammar School, having won a scholarship. Unfortunately the local policeman came to wake us up at 6.00 am (no telephone in the house!) to say that our house in Newcastle had been bombed and my parents were to return and leave me with Grandma. They went to live with friends and it was nine months before the house was made habitable again and they could once again live in it.

In October 1940 the pupils from Newcastle were evacuated to Ambleside in the Lake District and I was able to join them. We had a special train which took us, via Carlisle and Oxenholme, to Windermere where we boarded a bus to our destination 鈥� the 鈥淪mallwood Private Hotel鈥� in Ambleside. This became the hostel for the youngest pupils, about 30 of us, while the older ones were boarded out in ones and twos in local homes in the village. We were to share Kelsick Grammar School with the local pupils, which was a mile or more out of the village up a steep hill. Our canteen for lunch was back in the village so we climbed the hill and returned twice a day. I think we became very fit!

In the hostel we slept, some in double beds, some in single, up to 6 in a room. There was a wash basin in each bedroom where we were expected to have a strip wash daily and we had a rota for our once-weekly bath 鈥� my time was 4.30 pm on Fridays! There were only 2 bathrooms in the whole hotel and I think the staff had the evening times. We were only allowed 5鈥� depth of water, to save energy.

Our dirty washing had to be posted home on Saturdays: our parents received the parcels on Monday, washed it and sent the clean clothes back by Wednesday. It cost 7d (about 3p) parcel post, and 1陆d 鈥� or 鈥渢hree ha鈥檖ence鈥� (about 陆p) to post a letter home, which we had to write in the dining room, once a week, at the weekend. We received 1/- (one shilling = 5 pence in modern money) pocket money per week and could claim expenses in addition for postage, toothpaste, shampoo and other necessities from the teacher in charge. Our parents paid this money into an account for the purpose each term.

In the sideboard in the dining room we each had a bowl of sugar and a saucer of butter with our name on it, containing a week鈥檚 ration of these commodities.

In 1941 I was given a bicycle for my birthday and was able to explore the Lake District at weekends. We had to go out, but tell the teachers were we intended to go, so that if anyone failed to return by supper-time, they would know where to search for us!

In July 1943 we returned to Newcastle and joined the rest of the staff and pupils in our own school, and life returned to normal.

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