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Beryl Sebire (née Saich) interviewed by Matt Harvey, Social History Officer, Guernsey Museum. The interview recorded on video. The video transcribed by J David 5-8/9/2005

Beryl Sebire. September 1940. I remember that day, it was on a Sunday, Neville Chamberlain I think it was came on, he had been speaking to Herr Hitler, he said ‘we wanted a reply, but I have to tell you now there is no reply’ — I always remember that — ‘and we are now at war with Germany’. I was out in the Garden, I was fifteen, I did not realise what it was, did not have a clue what it was, We had not been at school very long, I think it was about a day, and there were lots of rumours going round, we were all told in the afternoon to go home and to come back in the morning as early as we could because we were going to be evacuated. We thought what does evacuation mean, I don’t know what that means anyway. We got to school, and the boat couldn’t get into the harbour, so we had to go back home again — this happened twice — we had a little suitcase with us, an attaché case they called it, with one change of clothing, and a toothbrush, no more, it was June, I always remember, sweltering, because my mother put two of everything on me to go, two vests, which we wore in those days, and what we called a liberty bodice, your mum would remember, all children wore them in those days, two of those, two vests, everything. Michelin man. Eventually we had the ok to go to the harbour, so we marched to the harbour, it was a Dutch ship. And before I go any farther this Dutch ship, they were brilliant, and of course the sailors were all Dutch, they tried to make themselves understood but they couldn’t, they put all the kindergarten children down in the hold, because they thought they were safer down there, from machine-gunning. — but what would have happened if we got a torpedo — we didn’t think of that at the time. Anyway we eventually arrived into Weymouth, and there was a crowd of English people there all jabbering away in French, they thought we had come from France, so we soon put them right from that, and after a bit of formalities we all marched off, went into this school place, and we had been about twelve hours aboard this boat, very uncomfortable wearing a life jacket, and a hard deck to sit on as well, and we went inside into this school place, and we were really hungry and thirsty, not even a drink of water on the boat, the first thing they placed in front of us was tomato soup, it wasn’t very relished, I can assure you. Anyway, we were glad of that. And then we had a medical and so forth and so on, and we got on the train and then we went up to Rochdale, where Gracie Fields comes from, and some of the girls were really excited — ooh, Gracie Fields, wonder if we can see her, and all the rest of it — this wonderful big house, enormous big house, some gentlemen’s residence, and we all got in there
I……….. Did you have any brothers or sisters?
Beryl Sebire. no, no brothers no sisters, that was awful. Lots of people had brothers or sisters but I had no-one, absolutely no-one. I had two or three aunts, only one of those had any children, that was a twin, the others didn’t have any children, oh it was awful, it was a lonely life for me.
I……….. When you left on the evacuation boat, were you travelling with other friends, from school?
Beryl Sebire. No, just the one school, it was called the Intermediate then, just the one school.
I……….. When you got to England, were you able to keep in touch with your other friends or did you all go to different places?
Beryl Sebire. No, we all went to different places. Us lot, the seniors, went to Rochdale, I was only there for two days, and my two friends I had at school, there were three of us, the famous trio, we used to go around, unfortunately they stayed in Guernsey, their parents wouldn’t let them go.

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