My interest in the second world war is mainly because I was born at the very beginning of the war in 1940 and my father was captured at Dunkirk and I wasn't able to meet him until I was five years old.
We lived in NOrth London and my mother decided to evacuate me to a family friend in Preston when I was just three years old. I was evacuated together with a cousin, six years older than myself. It was a very poor area in Preston but memorable in more ways than one. Although only 3 years old my memory is quite vivid of the time spent here. Although the lady with whom we lived was very kind she was also very poor. The house was situated opposite a working Cotton Mill which at the end of each day tipped the coke from the building onto an old site about 100 yards from the house. My cousin and I had to go to the site with bucks (aged 3 and 9) to collect the coke for her fire and our reward was a sweet.
We wore cloggs as did most of the people living there.
Unfortunately, the lady who took care of us had a violent husband who regularly battered her if the dinner wasn't to his liking (which was most of the time) We had to bath in a tin bath by the fire both at the same time. One night he had fish and chips - but didn't want this and threw the plate across the room and all the chips landed in the bath with my me and my cousin. Not particularly happy days, but interesting. I remember everything from that time, which I find extraordinary!!
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