Evacuation to the Country

Text

"I was probably around five. Five or six. And I remember my mom and dad putting my brother and I on the train, and I remember us having our gas masks, but I don't remember having any luggage. I'm sure we did. And they put us on the train, and we went out to a place called Altrincham in Chesshire, it's near Manchester, and my brother got to go stay with an aunt of mine, because she had all boys, and I stayed with a schoolteacher which was my aunt's friend. She had two daughters, and so I was very well looked after over there too.

It just being very nice. It was out in the country, and I know the lady that kept me, she had--- it was a one-school classroom, I mean a one classroom school, and there were several different ages in there, but it was way out in the country, and I remember she had the geese, and she had rabbits, and all the stuff I'd never seen. Being close to London, we didn't have all of that. So, but they were very nice to me. They got me a bike so I could ride over and see my brother, and it was good. In fact, I think I enjoyed it so much, especially with having like two older sisters-- which they were not-- but they were very good with me. And when my mom and dad came to pick me up, I didn't want to go home, because I hadn't seen them in a year. So… And now I understand it, but I think how mad and upset my mom must have been to think I wanted to stay where I was instead of wanting to go home with her. (Laughs).

She had to do what they call piece-work, and of course my dad had to stay. Anyone that had a baby, the mother could go with them, but because of my age, you know basically they'd say you didn't need your mom. So that's the reason she wasn't able to go. She made safari helmets. Everybody that didn't have small children, they had to work."