ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Memories of Mrs Jean Brooks recorded by Mrs Willson, added to the website by Epping Forest District Museum.

I was eight years old, my sister Maureen four. I remember she was in hospital having her tonsils out, a bomb fell on the hospital so they moved all the children into the country side.
I was evacuated to Petersbourgh with the older boys who lived next door, they were told to look after me. After only one day, they decided they didn't like it, collected me and got a lift home in a furniture van which was going to London. My mum got a shock when we walked in, but we weren't sent back so spent the rest of the war in London.

We slept on King's Cross underground station at first, every night my mum and I would go to the left luggage office to collect our bedding, which was left there when we got up in the morning. It was very crowded, people coming and going, lots of noise, but for us children, we tought it was fun. Bunk beds were put along the platform,some one would have an accordion or even a mouth organ and every one sang songs. But when we came out into the streets in the morning, you knew war wasn't fun.

When the war was nearly over, my sister Maureen came home. Then our house got bombed so we moved to another house, which had a brick shelter in the back garden.

My father was too old to be called up to fight. He worked on Farringdon Street station and when it was bombed he received a letter from the war office thanking him for putting out the fire and saving the station. It was also recorded on his work records. We were very proud of him.

We did go to school but because lots of children were evacuated the school basement was banked up with sandbags which made it into an air raid sheler, and all the children of all ages were taught together.

When the war ended there were lots of street parties, every time one of my cousins or uncle's came home we celebrated with bonfires and dancing in the street. We were very lucky, they all came home safe. We still had food rationing, but we thought it was lovely to have the street lights on and the black out curtains down, even if we did still have to queue up for bread, coal and banana's if we were lucky.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.