大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a London CSV volunteer on behalf of Audrey Demer and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I, Audrey, was born 10th March 1934, being the sixth child of Richard Albert John Jones and Williamina Jones (nee Watson). My elder siblings were Williamina (year of birth 1920), Mildred (1922), James (1927), Bernard (1929), Edna (1932) and our youngest sister Rita (1937).

My first memories are of being stopped from going upstairs at 50 Desford Road, E16, whilst trying to get to my mother who was at the time giving birth to Rita. We were all born (except Rita) in my Grandma and Papa鈥檚 house at 204 Grange Road, Plaistow, and moved to Desford Road shortly before Rita was born. At the age of three years, I attended Hermit Road E16 School, where we were given milk to drink (yuk) and in the afternoon lay on little truckle beds to sleep.

In 1939 there were these huge barrage balloons floating in the sky and as the sight of them frightened me, I hid behind Mummy鈥檚 skirt. There was much talk of war with Germany at this time, and every day we were sent to school with a parcel of clothes, food and a gas mask, as preparations were being made to evacuate the children. No one knew when this would happen or where we would be sent 鈥� it was all very 鈥榟ush hush鈥� for security reasons.

Eventually the day arrived, Friday 1 September 1939, I was five-and-a-half years old. Our parents were not informed of our departure, but several people saw us walking in a line to the station. Mummy was out shopping when someone called out to her: 鈥淐ome quickly the children are going.鈥� Apparently she ran all the way to West Ham station carrying heavy bags of shopping, only to see the train pulling away and with it four of her children 鈥� James, Bernard, Edna and myself. It still hurts me to think how sad she must have felt. Some parents were evacuated with their children but Daddy had to work and was Home Guard and Williamina and Mildred, both being teenagers, were too old to come and Rita was only two years old. My two elder sisters had either to join the forces (Daddy said a definite 鈥楴O鈥�) or go into factories to do war work. They both hated it.

Sunday 3 September 1939, war was declared and most of the world entered into six years of hardship, heartache, fear, anxiety, longing and hope.

Chapter 2: www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/a5706001

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