大象传媒

Arthur and Pearl Dobson were both evacuated from St John鈥檚 School Margate in June 1940. They didn鈥檛 actually know each other then, but met whilst they were in Chase Terrace. They celebrated their Golden Wedding in 2003.

Arthur and Pearl were both living in Margate at the outbreak of the war and both attended St John鈥檚 School. Pearl was, however a Westgate girl, having attended St Saviour鈥檚 School until the family moved to Margate. Arthur remembers well the day war broke out - he and his brother were in the Boy Scouts and they had been told to sandbag the Air Raid Wardens鈥� Post at the bottom of Wilderness Hill in Margate, opposite Dane Park. When the sirens went that Sunday morning, so suddenly and so unexpectedly, they 鈥渄owned tools and ran like hell up the hill home.鈥�

After the Fall of France in late May 1940, the plans to evacuate Thanet鈥檚 children were put into operation. Pearl and Arthur travelled on the same train (they didn鈥檛 know each other then). Arthur was on his own, as his brother was older and already in the Home Guard. Pearl, who was eleven, have the care of her little sister who was 4 and 3/4. They were lucky in that they did find someone willing to take two children, because understandably, most people only wanted one. They were happy in their billets and Pearl has kept touch over the years with the daughter of the host family, who was about the same age as herself, and she and Arthur and their family have been back to Chase Terrace, Staffordshire, where St John鈥檚 School was sent.

Pearl and Arthur met in the local park there. They were able to go to school all day - Pearl鈥檚 only regret that she was not able to continue French, which she had started back in Margate. It was a safe area, although one bomb was dropped at the end of the street where Arthur was billeted - it might have been targeted at the coal mine nearby, but was more likely to have been a stray 鈥渁nyway,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t made a big hole and everyone came to have a look at it.鈥� Pearl remembers seeing the red glow from Coventry on the night of the big raid, however, she enjoyed the social activities organised by the local chapel, especially on the Anniversary Festival.

Arthur returned to Margate in 1942, as he was old enough to leave school. His host family had tried to persuade him to go down the mines, but having seen how the man of the house had been injured in an accident, 鈥淣o way鈥�, he said.
He worked as an errand boy the rest of the war. Later he and his father and brother clubbed together and bought the Dalby Caf茅 in Dalby Square, Margate, which is quite close to Trinity Square. He remembers the major raid on Margate on 1st June 1943, when the town was attacked by twelve German fighter-bombers just after 1 o鈥檆lock in the afternoon. Holy Trinity Church was amongst the buildings destroyed.

Pearl returned home in 1943. at first she stayed at home, whilst her mother went out to work, but she soon got bored and found herself a job at The Grove Nursery in Westgate. Her father was in the Home Guard.
She and Arthur met up again in 1951 and were married in 1953. It was still very difficult to set up home - so many houses had been destroyed or badly damaged and there were tight restrictions on building. Although Arthur managed to obtain a building plot, no builder was interested- they were all waiting for Government Regulations to end, so that they could build to their own specifications. But then they were able to buy a house in Belmont Road - three bedrooms - for 拢1065! They could only afford to buy furniture for the bedroom at first, having to have some of Arthur鈥檚 for the second bedroom. They had to wait to furnish the sitting room when they could afford it. They took on the Regency Caf茅 in Station Road Westgate and thus became Westgatonians! In 2003 they celebrated their Golden wedding - a very happy occasion for their family and also for St Saviour鈥檚 church family. Arthur was a churchwarden for ten years from 1981-91. In 2002 he received the Royal Maundy Money from HM the Queen in Canterbury Cathedral - an unforgettable day!

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