大象传媒

I was five years old and had only been at school long enough to know where my classroom was,when I was summoned to a spare classroom to be interviewed by a man who was called the Evacuation Officer as I remember it.

He asked me what my name was and where I lived so I told him that I lived in Lovridge Road,Kilburn.( I have forgotten the road number,and have probably mis-spelt the name of the road but I knew them at the time) He then asked me what my father's name was,so I told him that I didn't know,but I called him Dad.

He smiled and asked me what my Mum called my Dad,so I told him "Wollocks".

"That must be a pet name,and I can't work out what your father's name is from that,so can you think of anything else that she or anyone else calls him",he said.

"Mum calls him Woll,and my Gran calls him Wolly" I told him ,so he said " I think I can take it that your dad's name is Walter Teague,so I will write that down.

Then he asked "What is your mothers name?".
I told him that I didn't know,but I call her Mum.
"What does your mother call your father" he asked. I told him that Dad called her Darling.He laughed and said "anything else"?

So I told him that he called her Darling sometimes and Kit or Kath at others.
He deduced from this that my mother's name was Kathlene.

At the time,I had no idea what the interview was about,but I now realise that I had undergone the first stage of the evacuation procedure for London children following our declaration of war on Germany.

My school class was transferred by bus from Harben School to Paddington station,and although I do not know for sure,I think that mothers must have accompanied us,because I can remember waving to my own mother as the train left the station -desperately wanting to cry,but not wanting to do so in front of all the other kids in the compartment.

To save face,I invented a game which I suggested to the other kids-"Who can pretend to cry the best"?. There was an immediate explosion of crying but I don't remember anyone claiming a win.

I was eventually evacuated to a farm near Tiverton in Devon with my four year old brother.

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