大象传媒

I was 12 yrs old,the year was 1941 and I was being Evacuated.My Mother ,Father and sister,were staying in London,with my Gran,with whom we lived.My sister was six years younger than me,and my Mother wanted to keep her at home.On the morning of departure my Mother and I got the bus, to report to the departure Zone,a huge school fifteen minuit bus ride away.The scene when When we arrived was amazing,hundreds of children with Parents,We had to report when when we arrived to a lady sitting at a table.We dutifully got in line and waited our turn.When it was our turn the lady gave my Mother a luggage label and told her to write my name and address,and the school that I was from,and the tie it onto my jacket lapel,she also gave her a ticket with a number on it.We then departed and waited with the crowds in the huge Playground.I noticed that some of the Parents where crying,as were some of the children,as for me,I was excited with it all and couldn't wait for the Adventure to begin.Eventually we were all called to order and the children were told to form groups in line,which we did,by now we had been segregated from the parents,who were on the other side of the Playground.Then ,after some Rules being read out,"Be quite,pay attention stay in your group and listen for you group name"A fleet of Buses drew up and we all had to march onto the buses,I raced upstairs and got a seat next to the window on the kerbside.Ilooked out for Mum,and there she was ,standing in front looking for me,I banged on the window and she looked up,I could see she was crying along with the other Parents,I smiled and waved,she waved back and blew me a kiss,which I returned,and then the bus pulled away and Mum and some of the other parents ,ran along side, and then we were off.
I was still excited and not a bit sad.The noise on the bus was deafening,some children were still crying,others were shouting and laughing.The journey seemed to go on for ages,but I was enjoying the ride from my vantage point upstairs on the bus.I thought that we were going all the way by bus.The bus came to a halt and I thought that we had arrived.We had,at Finsbury Park Station.We were filed off the bus in an orderly fashion,kids of all ages,Brothers and Sisters,children from the same school and me,all labeled up and ready to go.We were all marched upstairs and on to the platform,being yelled at by the teachers to keep in our own groups.There were hundreds of kids on the plaform all laughing and playing about as kids do,aged between 5 to 13.We all kept contained in our own groups.Suddenly there was a shrill blast on a whistle and yelling from the teachers."Quite everybody and pay attention.Wait for you school to be called out and then file on to the train"We all stood there,not silent,but certainly not so noisy.We all eventually got on the train,I had a window seat,and was bursting with excitement,I proceede to eat the sandwiches that my Mum had given me.A shout of "Mind the doors" and then and we were on the move as the train moved slowly from the station. I don't know for how long we had travelled because I had fallen asleep and woke up to the screehing of the trains brakes and a teacher yelling into the carriage telling us to get ready to leave the train.One of the boys said "Where are we sir?" "Huntingdon" said the Teacher.None of us had any idea where Huntingdon was.The station was thronging with people,some running some walking,Porters with handcarts full of luggage,a Tannoy booming out some indiscernable message, and here and there a Policeman, and a group of Soldiers,laughing and jokng making their way to the Platform marked London.My observatons were suddenly interupted by the voice of one of the Teachers."Pay attention and follow me,AND NO TALKING" We follwed him off the station.Outside were were lines of coaches,some of them already full of children.By now we were all chattering again.The teacher blew his whistle,"Now pay attention" He said ""All this section file onto this coach" He pointed to the section that I was in and we all pushed and shoved our way on to the coach.I didn't a get window seat this time being almost the last one on the coach.After a drive through the countryside, where I saw live Sheep and Cows for the first time,our coach arrived at a small Village,which I later found out was called Abotts Ripton.The other coaches had gone to other destinations.
We alighted from the coach and were led to a large empty hall in a school playground.There were tressle tables at one end of the hall with free sandwiches and cakes and glasses of Lemonade,and some of the local women serving us.Most of the children were relaxed by now,except for a few of the younger ones who were being comforted by the teachers.As for me,things couldn't be better.A ride on a train,seeing real Sheep and Cows for the first time,and now,free cakes and Lemonade.When we had finished our cakes and Lemonade,people started to drift in,mostly women,sometimes a woman and a man.After a short conversation with a teacher a childs name would be called,sometimes a Brother and a Sister,and they would depart with the Adults.This selection went on all afternoon in dribs and drabs until I was the only child left.By now it was dark and the lights had been turned on in the hall.I thought my name had not been put on the list,I found out later that there was not a list and that people just chose who they wanted.To this day I wonder why I wasn't chosen. and as there were no more people arriving at the Hall I was wondering what was going to happen to me,surely they wouldn't send me home?I was suddenly filled with a strong sense of loneliness and isolation.Mr Hewitt,a Teacher who seemed to be in charge of everything, came over to me and said "Right Richard,come with me and I will take you to where you will be staying".I followed him to his car and was surprised at how dark it was outside,much darker than in London.I settled in the front seat,the excitement came back again,I had never been in a car before,and here I was sitting next to the driver,and we were off.
We duly arrive at a Farmhouse,they must have heard us arrive,because the front door opened as we aproached.The scene inside was depressing,the sparsley furnished room was lit by a solitary oil Lamp and the remains of a fire in the grate.A large table in the center of the room and a few chairs.A Man his wife and an old woman,whos lip continully qivered as she stared at me with a look that was hateful.Mr Hewit spoke first "This is Richard, all the way from London" "Hello Rachard" The woman said.She had a country accent which made my name Rachard The old woman was stareing at me,her bottom lip going in and out making a horrible sucking sound.I looked straight at her and her eyes narrowed and lower lip moved faster.Mr Hewit said "I really must be going now,I will be back in the morning with some details,and Richards case,which I forgot to bring"With that,he was gone.This was turning into a nightmare.For a moment there was silence,and then the young woman spoke."You must hungry Rachard.Get him something to eat Ma" She said to the old woman.She stared at me, her lip quivering faster as she made her way to the fireplace,the oil lamp casting an eerie shadow on the wall.She grabbed a frying pan from the hearth and put it on the glowing embers of the fire,there was some fat in the pan and it began to melt.She then got a crust of bread and soaked it in the now melted fat,bringing it over and puting it on the table in front of me,not on a plate,but on the bare table."You will like that Rachard,its the bacon fat from tea time" said the younger woman."I am not hungry thank you" I said,As quick as a flash the old womans hand swooped down like the tallon of a Sea Eagle,scooped up the crust of bread and proceeded to eat it,the fat running down each side of her mouth.The man of the house said nothing,just sat there staring into space smoking a pipe."Come on Rachard,I will show you where you will be sleeping,its getting late"said the young woman. I had no idea what the time was. She went to the small scullery and returned with an Oil Lamp which she lit ,and then opened a door to the right of the room and revealed some stairs.I followed as she led the way to the bedroom. There was a double bed,a chair, and the words "God is Love" in a frame over the bed,opposite the bed was a small window."Heres where you will be sleeping Rachard" she said, She then told me that tomorrow their son,who was about the same age as me,would be coming home from his Aunties and I would be sharing the bed with him.She also said that I would like him and we should get on well together.With that she said good night and went back downstairs,taking the Oil lamp with her and leaving me in total darkness.I walked over to the window and looked out,I could just make out the shape of the trees and hedgegrows where the night sky met the darker area of the land.I stared out of the window with tears in my eyes,thinking of my family for the first time since I left home.I thought of how things were getting worse by the minuit.I started off from London full of excitement and hope,lots of children, noise,bus ride, trainride,coach ride,and car ride,and in the matter of a few hours here I was,alone in a strange house,in a strange part of the country with even stranger people.I thought of my family back home,Mum and Dad,my sister and my Gran,who lived with us,and last but not least our dog Chum.Suposing they all get killed and I am the only one left.I could be here for life,it was then I made up my mind to run away when they had all gone to bed.After a while I heard them coming upstairs to bed.I had no idea what the time was.I waited for what seemed hours,slowly opened the door and crept down the stairs and on reaching the bottom quitely opened the front door and I was out into the darkness,and to make matters worse,it was drizzling with rain.
I turned left at the front gate and proceeded back the way we had come in the car earlier.I didn't feel the cold or the rain,I was living deep within my brain thinking of home and family and friends.I thought of a plan to get home.I would find Huntingdon station,bunk on a train to London and when I got there give them my home address,my parents would be sent for and I would be taken home.Dawn was breaking as I reached Abbotts Ripton,it was eerie walking through the deserted Village,I felt as if I was being stared at from behind every curtain.I was very tired,I had not had any sleep since my snooze on the train yesterday,as I walked I was in a dream like state,lost in my thoughts.I don't know how long I had been walking or how far I had come,but now there was traffic and people bustling about and then I asked someone where the station was,I was right near it,about 5minuits the man said.I arrived at the station,my excitement returned,just find the Platform for London and I would be home.The noise of the trains and people was deafening,which I liked,made me feel alive.I must have looked a pretty sight,every inch an evacuee, soaking wet,12 yrs old and on my own.I was feeling pretty bad by now,weak and so tired and hungry.Suddenly a voice behind me said "Is your name Richard?"I turned round and there was a Policeman,a rotund friendly looking man..I looked up at him and and tears welled up in my eyes, I was so depressed it was like being lost in a maze"I want to go home I cried" "I want to see my family in London" "Well come on lad,we will see what we can do about that" He said.He grasped my hand and we both made our way to the Police staion.It wasn't far.When we arrived he told the Policeman behind the desk, who I was,one of the Policeman scooped me up in his arm,sat me on the desk and said,"You sit there young Richard and I will get you a cup of tea,and here,wrap this round you"He gave me a blanket,I felt better already,this was the first time I felt as if somebody cared about me since I had left home .I drank the tea and then he lifted me down and took me into another room,there was a hughe fire,and an armchair" get those wet clothes off lad,sit in front of the fire with the blanket round you,I will get you something to eat"and with that he was gone.When he came back he had some bread and jam and another cup of tea."There you are Richard,give me those wet clothes and I will dry them for you"I really enjoyed the bread and jam and the cup of tea,laying back in the armchair in front of the fire I was soon fast asleep.
"Wakey wakey Richard put these dry clothes on,we are going for a ride" Where are we going "I asked "To see the Billeting Officer and find you a place to stay"I began to get anxious again,I thought I would be going home.I sat in the back of the car and we wizzed through the countryside,and in a very short while we were back in Abbotts Ripton.I began to panic,"If they send me back to the house I ran away from I will run away again" I said.We drove through the gate and up the drive to a big house,it could be called a mansion.It was the house I was going to spend the remainder of my time in Abbotts Ripton,the house of the Reverend Vigas and his family.It was lovely place,and I had a much better room,Mr and Mrs Vigas and their two daughters were very good to me.The daughters were in their early 20s I think.They were all very well spoken.But I still wanted to go home.I went on a hunger strike,I Feel terrible about it now,it must have been a big worry to them,but I wanted to go home.One of the daughters ,Molly,used to take me to the basement kitchen and we would eat sandwiches and drink cocoa,and we would talk about London and the Blitz and about my family we both enjoyed these chats but at meal times at the table with the family,I would not eat.There was a big Walnut tree in the front of the house,and we used to pick them,I thought they were plums.After many letters back and forth to my parents,hardly anyone had a phone in the working class,I was eventualy sent home with a carrier bag full of walnuts.My Mum met me at Finsbury Park Station.and I was back in London,ready to spend the next 4 years in the fear and excitement of the War.It really is true,there is no place like home.
I was at the Vigas household for only about two months.I returned to Abbotts Ripton with my wife years later,and the house was a Hostel for Homeless I think.I went back about four years later and the beautiful mansion had been pulled down. I heard that the site was going to used for housing development.

This story is dedicated to my Granddaughter Dom,who encouraged me to write it.

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