- Contributed byÌý
- Bromley Museum
- People in story:Ìý
- Louisa Small (nee Kingsbury)
- Location of story:Ìý
- Camberwell, London, Kent and Carmarthen, Wales
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A2797059
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 30 June 2004
This story was submitted to the People’s War website by Annie Keane of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ on behalf of Louisa Small and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.
Evacuated to Kent
I was living in Camberwell and was about 12 when the war started. I went to Denmark Hill School. My school moved to Kennington Ashford, Kent on 1st September 1939 and all the kids were evacuated with it.
Ashford was great, it was in country. We were all afraid to go into the fields because of the cows and sheep. We had a great headmaster who was like our Dad. We didn’t mix that much with the local kids, we had enough going on looking after ourselves. People were nice to us. We stayed there until Dunkirk 1940 we could see the soldiers coming into Ashford and after that we were all taken down to Carmarthen in South Wales.
Moving to Wales
Everybody that I lived with were fine. Some local people used to blame the Londoners for things that had gone on it the town. When we got there all the people were grabbing the older kids first probably because they would do the work and help out. My sister and I lived 3 miles out of the town, there was 8 of us staying in Travellers Rest which was about 10 houses and a farm. We made our own fun, we used to go into town sometimes to the pictures. All in all we had a really good life.
After that my sister and I went to different families so we were split up. The family I was with were wonderful. Our school had a room in the local college and we were taught by student teachers used to teach us. We had to go to church every Sunday, we got used to it. Four cousins were down there with us too. When the bombing in London got worse, my mum and three Aunties came down to stay with us. We were really lucky to have the family around us.
The war eased off and we came home for 7 months, we did get incendiary bombs around. It was alright, when it started getting a bit nasty and the doodlebugs arrived so we all went back to Wales.
My second family
The second family I was with, I called them Aunty and Uncle. She had about 6 evacuees staying there. After the war my mum and family came back to London soon after VE Day. I was working by then in the Tax Office and wasn’t allowed to come back until later — after VJ Day. We were all looked after and were really well fed. We never went short.
When we came back to London, there was a lot of shortages and no coal and we used to a three day week at work. It was tough for my mum, but she was a good cook.
My brothers who served in the forces, never used to talk about what had happened during the war. Now people talk about it more, which is better because they’ve been through a lot.
I’m still in touch with the family that I was evacuated to, their daughter is still in the same area and we’re really good friends. I’ve been there a lot and my kids used to stay with them on holidays. We’re like sisters really.
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