蜜芽传媒

From the moment that I left mum and dad at the school gates, I knew that my life would never be same again. It was 9:00 am Friday 1st September 1939 when about 200 children, aged between 5 and 14 left London to be evacuated to Northampton. With me were my brother Stan who was 10 years old, and my sister Rosa who was 8. As I was the eldest at 12, mum gave me instructions to look after them.

We arrived at Brixworth railway station some 14 hours later where we were all put onto buses and taken to different villages in the county. Our bus went to Chapel Brampton and we lined up in front of a group of strangers. We were not just tired, but very confused and frightened. I was chosen to go with the Head servant of the Lady of the village (Lady A.Dawnay) and as I had Rosa firmly locked under my arm, she went with me. Someone else though picked Stan, but there was nothing I could do, except cry. Me, Rosa and six other girls were taken to the big house, which was only down a long driveway from the school. Waiting for us were biscuits, hot milk and thankfully our beds.

The next morning we were all told that the maids would look after us and above all else, always do what the cook said, 鈥淏ecause she鈥檚 in charge鈥�! A girl called Jean and I were the oldest of the group so we lead the first expedition around the big house. The house was huge with marvellously exciting dark corridors and beautiful rooms (some rather spooky as well 鈥� which only added to our fun). But nothing was more exciting than the animals that we found when we explored the great outside. None of us had seen a real live cow or pig before and we immediately fell in love with the piglets. There were stables with horses, cow sheds, sheep, pigs, chickens, greenhouses with real plants growing, even grapes 鈥� it was wonderful! Later we were told that we could go anywhere on the estate as long as we asked cook first, (and we all did ask first because once we had met her, we realised that it was definitely not in our best interest to upset her).

On the Saturday morning we went around the village to get an idea of where everything was and to meet some of the villagers. On the way we found a blackberry bush and were having a great time picking the fruit when my brother Stan suddenly appeared running towards us. I was so pleased to see him as I thought that I had lost him, and mum would never have forgiven me. In fact he had been chosen to stay with our Lady鈥檚 chauffeur and his wife, a lovely middle-aged couple and they didn鈥檛 mind Stan playing with us at the house any time at all.

The house was called: Brampton House and was rented by Lady Dawnay from the Spencer鈥檚 of Althorpe. Lady Dawnay was 91 years old and a very nice old lady too. First she bought us all Wellington boots so that we could play in the fields, then she had the maids make us girls the most wonderful nightdresses. Our meals were always cooked separately and Jean and I were put in charge of making sure the younger ones ate properly. We had a big room to ourselves to play in and as long as we were back in time for meals and bed, no one bothered us. During the week of course, we had to go to school, which was only down the drive. It was very different compared to the big schools in London. We even had our own teachers. The 10 or so village children were fascinated with the games that we taught them, and with our accents. I made a friend named Olive Boxley who lived in Church Brampton. We are still friends to this day.

Saturdays were my favourite days, because that was when I received a letter or parcel from my mum. She wrote to tell me how much she missed us all. I missed her as well. Now, I was the one making the decisions, it was down to me to look after Stan and Rosa. I really grew up fast in those first few weeks. On Sundays we had to go to church in the morning and Sunday school in the afternoon. After that, all we wanted to do was to have tea, take a bath and go to bed. Before we turned out the light though, I always read a story to the little ones. How different my life had become to the one that I would have been experiencing in the bomb torn streets of London. My small group were even luckier than the village kids because the big house had lots of bathrooms and flushing toilets. The village cottages only had huts at the bottom of their gardens. They didn鈥檛 even have gas or electricity, whereas we did.

After a couple of years, Jean passed a scholarship to go to Northampton college, so when I reached 14, I took some exams and passed as well. I took up dressmaking with the London Paddington Technical College for Boys and Girls who had the top floor at the George鈥檚 Avenue College in Northampton.

Lady Dawnay died when she was 93 and we, along with all the servants had to move out. We all felt very sad because she had been so kind to us. Her daughters, Lady Sybil and Lady Fletcher were also very kind, but they did not want to stay at the house and it fell empty. The school found me a nice place to stay, at Mrs Witts鈥� house in Addison Road, Northampton whilst Rosa and Stan returned home to London. Mum sent me some money to buy a bicycle so that I could get to school and then to college when I started there in the new term. It was my first bike; I was thrilled and felt so grown up. The college and Northampton Town were great, there was so much more to do than in the village and I became a good dressmaker. The college even promised to find me a job in London.

All too soon I reached the age of 16 and it was time for me to go home, but at the end of term dance I met a young man who played football with the college boys. His name was Fred, my future husband. We had two dates before I fell off my treasured bike and ended up in the General Hospital. Fred sent me a note to say that he was joining the Air Force and would write to my London home. The college found my school friend, Beatrice and me a job in Grosvenor Street, West End at Cookes Court dressmakers.

Six months later back in London, on Boxing night 1944 whilst watching a film at Dalston Pictures, I had the most terrible feeling and the strangest urge to go home. On rushing home I found the whole street ablaze and people running about in panic. A V2 Rocket had fallen silently out of the sky and exploded in the back of our garden. There was nothing left of our house except an empty shell; no windows, no doors, no roof. Miraculously, my brothers and sisters had escaped injury because they had been protected from the blast by their bed covers. Mum and dad though were taken to hospital with cuts from flying glass and for the second time in my life I was left in charge of the family. I took the kids to the local Community Centre for the night and the next morning we walked to an aunt鈥檚 house, still shocked by our traumatic ordeal. Finally, the council found us somewhere to live and provided us with utility furniture as all our possessions had been destroyed.

When the war finished, Fred came back from the Middle East and after a year, we married. We returned to Northampton as he had his old job at Lotus Shoe factory waiting for him. We had two lovely boys; Stephen and Michael who now both have children of their own and are still living in Northampton.

Looking back on those war years, I realise just how lucky I was to have been evacuated to Brampton House and how the thought that I had had when I left my mum and dad in 1939 had come true; my life never was the same again 鈥� but it was a change for the better I am sure.

by
Michael.F.Parker

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