大象传媒

London was being bombed, and every night we sheltered in the cellar of our house whilst bombs dropped around us, so it was decided to evacuate our school to Cornwall. Along with many other children I was taken to Paddington Station and boarded the Cornish Riviera train bound for Penzance. My mother was a nurse and she accompanied us as a carer. I thought I was very lucky to have my mother with me.

It was a very long train journey and we arrived in Cornwall tired and bewildered. We were herded into a large, dingy hall where many Cornish people who had volunteered to offer their home to accommodate us were waiting. My memory is hazy but I recall milling around waiting to be allocated to (or chosen by) suitable families. It turned out to be a disadvantage being accompanied by my mother because people were suspicious of Londoners and to select a child and mother was even more difficult.

My first billet was with a family in St Day. Their name was Mr and Mrs Kent and their daughter Norah. They ran a local village shop. My mother eventually went to Redruth where the local Tabbs Hotel had been converted into a hospital. Here she cared for both evacuees and local children. I was moved to Redruth to be near my mother. The first Redruth billet was with a lady who kindly offered a home to myself and another girl. I think we turned out to be a bit of a handful.

My next billet was with Mr and Mrs Dunstan in Albany Road, Redruth. They were a wonderful family and I was treated like one of their own children. They had two grown up sons and I think became the daughter that Mr Dunstan had always wanted. He was a painter and decorator and grew carnations in his garden. We went to chapel every Sunday and I also went to Sunday school. I have a treasured bible which the Sunday school teacher, Miss Beskeen presented to me. After chapel we went for long walks around Redruth. A favourite I remember was going up Carn Brae. There was a rock there that had been worn away and we used as a slide. I also remember a ruin of some kind.

At the Hospital, the Matron was Miss Dempsey and her staff were made up of locals and some nurses from outside Cornwall. My mother specialised in nursing children suffering from skin diseases such as scabies, impetigo and ringworm.

During this time my father, who was in the Royal Navy, visited us. During one visit, we went on the train to St Ives. As the train rounded Carbis Bay a German plane machine gunned the beach. I remember my father shouting to us all to get down as the plane flew over. When we arrived at St Ives, we could not get a cup of tea as the gas works had been struck by the enemy. I did not see my father again for four years as he went away to the Mediterranean and Africa.

Rather vague memories I am afraid, but it was 66 years ago. The legacy for me was a lasting love for Cornwall and its rugged beauty. I have been back many times as an adult with my own family, but prefer to remember Cornwall as it was in those far off days, wild and unspoilt.

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