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This story has been entered into the site by Sarah Nicholson on behalf of Irene Varley and we fully understand the conditions.

My grandma is called Irene Varley and was six years old when war was declared on Sunday 3rd September 1939. Before September 3rd they had already been supplied with gas masks and an Anderson shelter had been erected in the back garden and her mother had to make blackout curtains as no lights were too been seen, including streetlights. My grandma remembered that her mother said she could go for a walk with her doll and pram but she must return home immediately if she heard a siren blowing. This did happen. Within a week her mother told her that she was being evacuated with her brother to a safer place so that they would come to no harm during World War 2.

On the day they were leaving all the children had to go to school as normal but with their cases and gas masks. My grandma said it was all very exciting as they felt it was just like going on holiday. They were taken by bus to the railway station but did not really know were they were going. When the train stopped my grandmas and her brother鈥檚 name were read out along with six others as well as a teacher. They were taken to a local school and found out they were in Newfield, a small village outside Bishop Auckland. My grandma and her brother were told that they were going to live with Mr and Mrs Sears. Mr and Mrs Sears lived in a very large house in its own grounds and even had a fishpond in the garden. Another brother and sister were also to stay with Mr and Mrs Sears but Mrs Sears could not cope with all the children as she had a two year old child so she said she would keep my grandma and her brother. My grandma thinks she got rid of the other children because of the little boy鈥檚 immediate attachment to her brother following him around from when we arrived. Going to school was very different because you were with children of various ages were all in the same class. When she got back home the school was closed but she had to attend a house school for half a day in the morning for one week and in the afternoons the following week. Eventually the school was reopened.

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