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Yes, I remember Beeswing village, well.
That's where I was evacuated to;
And well I recall the previous night-
(Fear in my young mind that nothing could quell)-
Night before War's Declaration was due,
Before I'm sent to pastures safe and new,
Nine-year old, away from family and home;
Bath-time, not the one I normally knew,
Washed in the dark lest Hitler a light saw;
Ready to be sent from family and home.

Yes, I remember the journey with awe;
Every march, every line-up, every queue,
Each call, from, "just be brave" to "do your best".
From Hillhead High School herded right on down
To Kelvinbridge Station to stand and rest,
Stare at the platform then at each grey rail,
Waiting for the sound of whistle or wail
Of a train to steam us right out of town
From family and home, as a yacht sets sail
For adventure or, for some, a sad tale.

Yes, I remember the train coming in,
Boarding our carriage, as shrill whistles blew,
Waving farewell as the rears start to flow,
Drinking from a cup that looked like a tin;
Seeing for myself The Emergency,
A gas-mask, a bag of food (meant for me?),
A badge with my name, hanging by a pin,
A blazing barrage balloon in stormy skies;
The slow, stop, speed of a long, long journey
E'en further away from family and home.

Yes, I remember thinking we've arrived
But that was for us children not to be;
The place-name of the station I could see
Was DUMFRIES, painted on the platform sign,
And that was where we had to disembark.
Midst young voices asking, Are we near or far?,
We were put on a train bound for Stranraer.
How our engine did puff, rattle and swing
Till we got to the village of Beeswing
Which was to be our new family and home.

Mrs Kirk had a dog, that didn't bark,
A daughter, a grandson (father unknown)
Who kept saying, D'ye ken this, ken that?
I thought it amazing my name he knew!
In the back-yard hut was an outside-loo,
We (four kids) stayed in the Kirk's upstairs-flat,
Downstairs Mrs Black had her home and shop,
Hamilton House was the building's name,
Out front, by the well, the buses all stopped,
All was quiet till we evacuees came!

Yes, I remember Beeswing e'er so well;
That's where I learned plums from garden trees grew,
Learned Mrs Kirk's hair could give me a fright-
When she let hair down I nearly fell,
T'was down to her feet, like a grizzly moo-
Learned that her porridge turned oatmeal to glue,
Learned that honey came from a honey-comb,
That tattie-howking was for children too;
But the greatest thing I learned was this insight
That you've but one true family and home!

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