大象传媒

In September 1939, my school organised our evacuation to Chester. We assembled at Lime Street station in Liverpool each child equipped with a gas mask, our name tags and suitcases.

I said a tearful goodbye to my mother (it was my mother who shed the tears) and I was off on a new adventure. I had not been any further than New Brighton before.

We arrived at Chester andwere given a bag of goodies at the station. We were then taken to Cherry Lane school to await the various people who were going to take us in. One by one the children were picked out and taken away. I began to worry as the number of children dwindled down to just a few.

I was starting to panic, then I saw a lady move towards me. She had a kind and homely face. We were introduced "Mrs Ledsham, this is Christina from Liverpool". The waiting was over.

Mr and Mrs ledsham, lived in Christleton with their young daughter June who was about 5 years old. They also had a lodger called Mr Jones. Both he and Mr Ledsham were train drivers.

During my time there i was well looked after. It was a happy home and I fitted in very well.

The only blot on my stay was when the evacuees were taken to the health centre to have our hair washed in some sort of lotion and then covered with a cloth turban. We had to walk through the street with everyone staring at us.

I cried my eyed out and would not venture out of the house. We were told to keep the lotion on for 2v days.

The headmistress who was boarding across the road was called in to placate me. She explained it was just a precaution against nits. I protested loudly "that i had never had nits and that my mother kept me spotless". I said "why are you not having yours done", after all she was from Liverpool just like us.

I was allowed to was my hair and went out to play.

Sadly, i only stayed until a few days before Christmas. I went home for the holiday but my mother was not well and I never returned to Chester.

I stayed in Liverpool until the May Blitz when i moved to Tyn y Morfa in North Wales, but that`s another story.

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