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This item has been written by Ron Gardner

And was also included in a book by Derrick Finch titled “ FOR I WAS A STRANGER (and you took me in.)

It was September 1940, I stood on the front wall of The Nook and looked out over the village, dusk was falling and smoke was curling up from some of the cottage chimneys. Strange to have a fire on a warm evening I thought, I didn’t know then that a great many people still cooked on a kitchen range.
The last seagulls were calling as they settled down for the night, a dog barked, no doubt welcoming his master back from a long day in the fields, and an atmosphere of peace and calm pervaded the village.

How different from a mere ten hours ago as we stood on the platform at Paddington station waiting for the St Austell train. The siren went and I looked up at the massive glass roof and wished the train would come soon. Eventually sixteen carriages were backed onto the platform, everybody piled in and we were off. The train was packed with soldiers, sailors and a seething mass of people. The corridors were packed and it was impossible to get any food or drink and only just possible to get to the toilet. We arrived at St Austell about 6.00p.m. and got a taxi to Pentewan. Now here I was still with the thump of the bombs, the rattle of machine guns and the crump of the the anti-aircraft guns in my ears looking out over what appeared to be a scene from a Walt Disney film, a magic place.

Over the weeks, months and years that followed I explored every inch of every wood, field and stream, every cliff and beach for miles around and it was indeed a magic place. Climbing the cliffs to get gulls eggs for Mum to cook with, (food was very short then). Going out in a dinghy and returning triumphant with mackerel, whiting and other tasty fish. Walking to Mevagissey to school often using our ‘short cut’ in the summer that went along the cliffs and took twice as long. Knowing that ‘PRIVATE —KEEP OUT ‘ and ‘TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED’ signs didn’t mean us youngsters, but only adults and, consequently, exploring many wonderful places. Heligan was especially exciting as we could play cowboys and Indians, fight the Japanese in the jungles and even find Dr Livingstone in that almost impenetrable place, yes, very, very magic.

I knew when we left in 1942 that my life would never be the same again and that I would never find another place that I would love so much.
Over 60 years have passed and I never have!

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