大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Sarah Cooper at the AGC Museum on behalf of Peter Moodyu and has been addded to the site with his permission. Peter Moody fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Again Beryl and I were to be evacuated. I don't remember much about the journey except that the trains, buses and trams had all their windows covered in a thick dark green netting with just a small oval shape, the width of your eyes to look out of, this was at the height of an adult. We arrived at poole in Dorset and saw Flying Boats, but we were not staying here and continued on to Wimborne. Again we were separated although under orders t stay together. A younger boy and I were taken by car to a small terraced house in a cul-de-sac a fact we were unaware of at the time. There was no garden. We wee taken through the front door of the house, and then through the front room into the living room. Sitting in the corner of the room, alongside the fire sat a very plump elderly lady - Mrs Whittaker. The man who had brought us spoke to the lady who leaned forward and picked up a large trumpet and placed one end into her ear. The yound lad and mysel took to our heels and fled - we thought she was a witch. It did not take them long to catch us. We had run towards the dead-end of the cul-de-sac. On being caught we were told that if we did not behave ourselves we would be taken to the Workhouse - this being the large building at the end of the cul-de-sac. I never did find out whether this building was actually the Workhouse.

There was always a strong smell of carbolic throughout the house. There was I believe a Mr. Whittaker. A small-built man often appeared, supplying a supplement of meat for dinner. Mrs Whittaker already had two other evacuees when we arrived; they were brother about the same age as myself. I know they came from Southampton and that their father was in the Navy. The young boy that came with me also had an older sister. She was with Beryl somewhere in Wimborne - I never knew where. I was to attend school here and was not looking forward to it at all. Although I had recieved little schooling up to this time I was expected to keep up with the other pupils in the class - often I did not understand what they were doing.

On the second day I recieved the cane for not being able to spell and was also kept in at lunchtime to learn the spellings. Mrs. Whittaker came to the classroom and gave the teracher a right "telling off" and marched me out of theclass and home. She was afraid that I would run away again. Thank goodness I did not have to stay long at the school because Dad came and fetched us. It appears that he was not happy with th eplace that Beryl was staying at so we were both taken to London once again.

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