大象传媒

Lots of evacuees came from Portsmouth. Some of the kids couldn`t cope with the quiet of a village where there was no pub, only two shops and you had to walk two miles to catch a bus. There was a bit of animosity at times because the evacuees were given treats such as trips in a bus; we`d have given our eye teeth to go off in a bus, something we had never done! Some of the children said they missed 鈥渂eer and chips鈥�.
There was a family of seven children. They were given a cottage and their mother stayed with them. Their father came on the train at the weekends. One weekend he arrived back at Portsmouth station just at the moment when an air raid happened and he was killed. It was so hard for that mother - but the Martin folk were kind to her.
The evacuees brought one great benefit to Martin. The Headmaster and one teacher from Portsmouth Grammar School came; selected childen, of whom I was one, were taught by them in the village hall. I passed my 11+ and went of to South Wilts Grammar School. Never mind the trestle table and having to light the coke stove: it was worth it.
At the end of the war one boy stayed and married into a Martin family.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.