大象传媒

Disclaimer
This story was submitted to the Peoples War Site by Stacy Blyth and Gemma Hoare from The Folkestone School for Girls and has been added to the website on behalf of Betty Williams with her permission and she fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

On September 1st 1939 my school, Camden School For Girl鈥檚 decided that we should leave London. It was a very hot day and I have a very vivid memory of wearing our winter uniform. We had no idea where we were going so we boarded a train going to an unknown destination. We found ourselves in Uppingham and were taken to the village hall. Ladies were waiting there to choose which girls to take. My friend Brenda Attkins and I were chosen by a butcher鈥檚 wife and were taken to live over their shop. We were very apprehensive and nervous. The following morning we were very surprised to be asked to get the milk from a man outside delivering it from an urn, but we were used to getting our milk in bottles on the doorstep! Then we had to go to the local cinema to have our lessons, sitting in rows with our books on our laps with the teacher facing us. Needless to say not much work got done.
This only lasted six weeks and we packed up again and off we went to Grantham. This time Brenda and I were taken to stay with a retired husband and wife and we were rather over-awed when a maid answered the door. Her name was May and she proved to be a real friend. We have many happy memories of our stay there and maintained contact with her for many years. We shared the Girl鈥檚 High school, the Grantham girls using it in the mornings and Camden girl鈥檚 occupying it in the afternoon. As the girl鈥檚 changed over Margaret Thatcher, then Roberts would have been amongst them. We had very strict rules. School uniform was to be worn at all times outside, we had to get permission to go to the cinema or for a walk, and we could only go in groups of three or more. We stayed there for two years but unfortunately the munitions factories began to be bombed. So off we went again. This time we went to Stamford, a smaller town in Lincolnshire. My experience of billets was not quite so comfortable. One memory that has stayed with me is of newspaper cut into oblongs for use as toilet paper. When I told this to a member of staff who looked after our welfare. I was given a toilet roll. During this time we took Matriculation and continued our education. In 1944 it was decided that the school would return to London. Soon after we got back the Buzz Bombs started coming over from France. So we didn鈥檛 avoid all the danger after all.

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