大象传媒

EVACUATION
An account written soon after the event by Marie Evans

It was June 1940. The Germans were marching thro' France having pushed back the British
from the Continent at Dunkirk. We in the Channel Islands were in terrible danger. They were coming our way. There were no soldiers here to defend us. We were on our own - and the Germans were coming. The States decided that as many children as possible were to be taken away. They closed the schools and we waited

We went to the beach, but couldn't enjoy it. We were afraid. Then on June 19th we were informed in the Press that we must register names of all children who wished to leave. So we went to our various schools that afternoon to take names. I was a teacher at St Sampson's School on Delancey Park and what an afternoon it was! Parents were frantic. They wanted their children to be safe, but didn't want to be parted from them. They couldn't make up their minds. Should they go, or should they stay? Would they ever see them again? The lists grew longer and it was night-time before the end of the queue was registered.
The teachers dashed home having been told that everyone must come back again to the school at 3 in the morning! We were only allowed 1 small case each, our gas-masks and a packet of sandwiches for the journey.
The parents were not allowed inside the school so they had to say cheerio to their children on the park. It was a very, very sad occasion. Everyone tried so hard to be brave - but there were many tears and much sobbing. We piled into buses and went to the White Rock where we queued - hundreds of us because Amherst School and some other Town Schools joined us. We got tired and sat on our cases and waited for the dawn to break. At last it was daylight but no sign of a boat. They kept telling us one was due any minute but it wasn't till lunch-time before a cattle boat arrived. It had just been used for getting troops out of France. There were no bunks. It was filthy dirty, but as we were tired out, we sat wherever we could. The English Channel was full of mines, so we were escorted by other ships to guide us through safe waters. The boat had to go very slowly and it was evening before we got to Weymouth. We had eaten all our food - there was none to be had on the boat - nothing to drink - we were absolutely weary and the smaller children wanted Mummy.
When we docked at Weymouth, the Salvation Army were waiting with packs of sandwiches and drinks. That was wonderful. Tired as they were the children had to be examined to see if they were fit before being allowed on the train. Most of them had never even seen a train before and at midnight we set off- nobody knew where! Some even thought we were being sent to Canada. All the railway stations had no names on them for security reasons. We travelled all night stopping and starting and by morning I recognised where we were. We were only five miles from my old home in Wales. I was overjoyed, thinking we'd be near there, but alas the train steamed on and on further and further away to the North.
We were desperate for food and drinks and after some hours - we were handed out more sandwiches. The journey was endless and we were almost sleeping as we ate. We travelled all that day again until the late evening when we arrived at Glasgow in Scotland. We were taken by buses to various church halls where we were going to live for some time. In our hall were about 50 girls and infants as young as 5 years. Some very kind people were waiting to welcome us and we were glad to flop down on mattresses on the floor and go to sleep.

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