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My Name is Alan Young and I was born Sunderland in 1934. I had just started Hendon Valley Road School when war was declared, I remember one day when I got to school with my two sisters we were put on a bus and took to Sunderland Railway Station. We boarded the train I was excited, as this was the first time on a train we waved out of the window to my mam, my dad was away in the Merchant Navy. After a few hours we arrived at our destination, we were all ushered into some kind of hall. People came in and started looking at us and picking who they wanted to look after. After some time there was only four of us left, my sisters and me would not be split up, finally a man and woman agreed to take the four of us. They were called Mr and Mrs Rowe.
They took us to there home which was a young boys dream, he was the Station Master of Leeming Bar Station, and we lived on the station. I remember going to school there was only one classroom the youngest sat at the front and the oldest at the back after about nine months we had to come home as Mrs Rowe had a accident and could not look after us I found out that they wanted to adopt me. At home one day my mam took us down to Sunderland railway station to meet my dad when we were saw him all he wore was a Duffel coat and trousers shirt and shoes, his ship had been sunk on the Russian convoys and he was picked up by a Canadian destroyer.

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