大象传媒

This story has been submitted by Patricia Blake of Lingfield, Surrey:

My father thought it advisable that my mother, myself, younger brother and sister should join others going to Cirencester. When we arrived, my brother and I were billetted with a retired couple. The house was comfortable and, to us, very posh. They had a motor car which they took us out in. I felt like I was in heaven.
Mum and my sister were housed opposite us. They were not very happy as the women there got up in the night to play the organ, very scary!
My brother had temper trantrums at times which our lady could not cope with so my mum, brother and sister went home to London.
I went to the other side of the city staying with a young couple who were very nice until they had a baby, so I too returned home.
We were home all through the blitz spending our nights and days in shelters during air raids. We were near well known munitions factories. Then we went away with three other children to Somerset.
We lived in an old stone house with a well in the garden. We used to have baths once a week in an outhouse. If the boys went first us girls refused a bath for obvious reasons!
We were sent to bed by candlelight and the place was freezing in winter. We got up early to help collect eggs. In summer we picked strawberries and ate them when no-one else was looking. The school was excellent, run by a good headmistress. On Saturdays we went to the morning cinema - one of the highlights at the time.
One occasion I remember well, my brother consumed a quantity of rough cider - he was very ill. We all made many adjustments then - it toughened us up.

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