- Contributed by听
- Wood_Green_School
- People in story:听
- Francesca B
- Location of story:听
- London (South West)
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4294181
- Contributed on:听
- 28 June 2005
Interview with Francesca, by Elliot on 09/01/2005
Q Where did you live in 1939?
A South West London
Q How old were you when the war broke out?
A 16
Q Do you have any memories of the announcement of the war?
A I can remember listening to the Prime Minister鈥檚 broadcast on the radio and him saying that there had been no further communication with Germany
Q Where were you evacuated to?
A I was evacuated with the rest of my all-girl school to another school in Buckinghamshire which was for boys only. I was billeted to one of the Eton college houses where the Eton college students lived. The house master and his wife, usually the matron, lived in the house. Some of the teachers from my previous school also came with us. I don鈥檛 remember the journey or arriving. Being evacuated disrupted my education, as just before the war started, I was about to go to the Royal Academy of Music in London. I was away for a year, by which time I had finished school. I then went to Devon with my mother and we lived with her sister. I transferred my scholarship to Exeter University.
Q When did you go back to London and what did you do?
A I went back to London after I had finished college and got a job at the War Office in London. There were still air-raids going on at the time and we had to sleep in the cellar. Our house was not badly damaged, just some broken windows, but lots of houses around us were bombed. I also used to go down to the public shelter once a week and help the air raid wardens. I had two jobs while I was in Devon as well. One was part time work with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association). Here I helped make and distribute cakes and other foods to the army bases in a mobile canteen with several other volunteers.
Q What do you remember about the end of the war?
A I was in Egypt at the end of the war with the War Office at GHQ (General Head Quarters). I was sent in 1944 with two other people. There weren鈥檛 any wild celebrations because though there had been fighting in other parts of Egypt; Cairo had not been directly affected. They did not have black-outs either and I remember when I first arrived how nice it was to see all the city lights.
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