大象传媒

On friday september 14th 1940 my husbands father, mother, two married daughters - a son of 16 and daughter of 14 plus a grandaughter slept in the underground all night long because of the fear of bombing raids on London. They lived in peckham. On the morning of the 15th september because mother was so distressed my father in law harry robertson decided it would be best to move the family away to a location somewhere safe.

So began a move which was to alter all their lives!

He told his wife to pack a few things together, rations and they rounded all the money they had between them together - which was about 拢40.

They all went to Paddington station and looking at the list of places to evacuate to chose Culham station in Oxfordshire.
Off they went, with no idea where they would live.
There was a kindly porter at the railway and it was he who suggested they should go to Clifton Hampden, which is where they headed.

On arrival they were taken in by the locals - the two married daughters whose husbands were on duty managed to find a family who were happyn to take them and the baby.
A very old lady took the mother and 14 year old daughter in - initially for one night but when hearing their plight decided told them they could stay as long as they want.

Harry and the son went back to London because of their jobs, although Harry eventually moved to Clifton Hampden, getting a job at Milton depot - Bob the son stayed with relatives in London until he reached 18 then joined the RAF. Once the war ended the two eldest daughters returned to London - but Harry, his wife and their youngest daughter decided to stay in Clifton Hampden.

The lady who they were staying with died in an accident soon after and they carried on renting the cottage where they lived until they passed away. His wife died aged 59 but harry lived on until he was 90.

The younger daughter married a local boy and had a very happy marriage until his early death atb the age of 55.

She is nearly 80 and now lives in the next village.

Harry kept a secret from us that shocked everyone. He actually lost a leg in the battle of Somme but kept it from everyone and no one knew because he could do all things anyone with both legs could do.

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