大象传媒

In 1939 we were evacuated to Bristol, we had to go to Eastbourne for the train. While at Eastbourne to pick up other people we were bombed and had to go under the seats of the railway carriage. After we left it was a long journey taking hours to reach Bristol where we stayed for a week at Bristol Grammar School, then we went to Old Sudbury and to a few houses on GreenFields called Colts Green. The people in the houses stood outside their doors and decided which children to take in their houses.A lady named Mrs Short looked at my sister and myself. The lady had two girls the same age as my sister and myself. Me being 6 years old and my sister 12 years old,Freda aged 12 and Beryl aged 12 took us in. When the air raid siren went off we used to go in a cupboard under the stairs. However after about a month my dad who was an ARP warden and also worked for Southern Railway said that in Newhaven it was quiet. So he came and got us to take us home to Newhaven after all we were near to Filton Airport. So we went home, a long journey waiting on a railway station all night for an early train to go home. While at home in Newhaven East Sussex my mum used to go to Newhaven Christ Church and joined the Church Army. There were two huts at the back of the church and one was used as a community centre for the troops going to France to fight the war. They played cards, darts, had meals there and many many cups of tea which my mum Emily Deacon and her church friends provided. The then Reverend Newby and Mr Colman (Deacon) of the Christ Church 'Sunday' had community hymn singing with the troops and my sister Ena and me would give out the hymn sheets and mum played the piano. After, my mum and dad would take a few soldiers home to play Crib and games. We lived in Norman Road Newhaven. A fellow soldier was Dennis Shaw, he was very good at drawing pictures and writing poems. He was in the Sommerset Light Infantry and come from Yeoville in Sommerset and a soldier Ernie Quay from London also played chess.
In 1945 a ship blew up just outside Newhaven harbour. Many windows were blown out and also lots of damage to properties. My mum Emily had to go to the clinic as she cut her foot on glass. We had no electric at home, it was a dark wet morning. A lot of people like us only had gas lighting.We had no hot water in our house in Norman Road. No bath, only a copper boiler which was built in the house of bricks.

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