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This story was submitted to the people’s war site by Emily Farrow and Sophie Biot from Dover Grammar School For Girls and has been added to the website on behalf of Eric Howard with his permission and they fully understand the site’s terms and conditions.

Eric Howard was five, nearly six, an only child. It was very hard for his mother and father to let him go and be evacuated to Scotland; a small town called Bishopbriggs. He was there for five years; the only communication between him and his parents was three red-cross letters, consisting of now more then 25 words. One letter took 12 months between sending the letter and his mother receiving it.
He went to a school in Bishopbriggs called Kenmure. He came home to the Channel Islands when he was eleven, there was still a heavy German presence in the Island. This was fun for him and his eleven year old friends because he could ride around on the vehicles.
Food was scarce on the Islands, they had to wait for the arrival of the Vega; they brought in lots of Red-Cross parcels. He had to go with a Pram Chassis to collect the parcels.
They mainly consisted of food and then later, blankets and clothing. The clothing he was issued with was a suit, it was too big but it was his first long trousers suit. His mother cut off the end. He also received a trilby hat and a pair of boots.
He thought he was really grown up as a young boy asked him “Mister, do you have the time?�
He only saw his little brother and sister after the war, when he didn’t even know if his parents were still alive.

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