大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by Nona Dougherty of the GMR Action Desk on behalf of Ronald Vincent Train and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."

In September 1939 I was due to be evacuated with my brother to Canada to stay with our uncle. My father, who went to register us for the journey arrived late and the booking office had closed. Fortunately for us the boat that we would have sailed on [had my father been in time] was sunk with all hands lost [ the ship was torpedoes]. That was to be the end of our trip to Canada! This being the case, our parents decided that we would be evacuated with my school [South Hulme Senior Boys, Bangor Street].

We were assembled and taken to Victoria Station where we boarded the train waving good-bye to our parents. Eventually we arrived at Ribchester on a lovely sunny day and then assembled outside the Mechanics Arms to be allocated to the various families.

My brother and I were billeted just outside Ribchester near the Longridge reservoir, almost opposite to a large red brick building that I believe was The Workhouse!

I used to help to get the cows in for milking before going to school. Collecting a bottle of milk straight from the cooler to take to school for lunch. Full of lovely cream!

In the evening when home from school, we would call to the adjacent turkey farm to collect one boy, then cross the road to make our final pickup, crossing through the fields down into Ribchester. Later we had to be re-billeted as Mrs. Pye was not too well. We were then billeted in Castle Street in the main village with the postman.

Christmas '39 was extremely cold. The river Ribble froze solid, so much so that the whole village went skating on the ice. When the thaw came were warned to keep away from the river which we did, although it was spectacular to see the large slabs of ice foating down the river. After everything had subsided, we found large salmon that had been trapped in the bushes alongside the river.

My fourteenth birthday came. We were taken home on Saturday, driving along through snow drifts as high as the hedge- rows. The whole village had been cut off for a week. Nothing could get through until the thaw.

After arriving home, I was given a pair of overalls and told I would be starting work on the following Monday!

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