| Jim
Lewis |
 |
 |
| Jim
was evacuated from bomb-wrecked Westminster aged two. After
an unsettled childhood moving round the country with his foster
mother, he eventually settled in St Albans, where he has lived
for over 40 years, and become a foster parent himself. |
I was
born in the Westminster area of London in August 1938, in the infamous
Peabody Buildings. My mother was already 40-years-old, and I was
an only child.
I
have been told that when the war broke out we were both evacuated
to the Brighton area whilst my father stayed in London. He became
an Air Raid Warden, as he had been badly gassed in the First World
War. But my mother didnÂ’t want to leave him alone and so after
a few months she returned home with me.
Sometime
during 1940 the factory next to the buildings was bombed, and I
was apparently lost for 24 hours when the floors fell through, but
I was found by a neighbour who knew who I was.
In
December, 1940, when I was just two-years- old, I was evacuated
alone to a childrenÂ’s home in the Dulverton area of Somerset
where apparently I never stopped crying.
Fuss
After about two weeks a lady came to the home and chose me to go
and live with her. She had quite a wonderlust, and we lived in various
places around Devon – Dulverton, Oakhampton, and Exmoor, where
I can remember my first day at kindergarten and kicking up a tremendous
fuss because I didnÂ’t want to be there!
At
the end of the war we were living in Widmouth Bay, Devon. I had
a great time there because milk and papers were delivered on a pony
and trap, and I used to help and ride in the trap.
I
also used to ride on the gravel lorries, as there was a quarry nearby.
When the war ended, there was a big bonfire party in the middle
of one of the roads, and the atmosphere there was full of celebration
and happiness.
I remember
going to my parents home in London at about the time the war ended
and seeing the bomb damage. There were large holes in the roads
and wrecked buildings all around.
I
also remember riding on the trams because they were very jerky and
rocked about, and were also very noisy. The buses also had stairs
on the outside to get to the top deck. I also remember that to have
a bath we had to go to the Public Baths that were nearby.
Bond
I didnÂ’t go back to live with my parents after the war, neither
of them were any good with small children, and as I had formed such
a close bond with my foster-mother, she wanted to keep me with her.
She
was a woman of "independent means" so I lacked for nothing
all through the war years. Her American relatives (her brother was
a well-known Hollywood film actor) used to send her food parcels,
so I was much luckier than most children during the war.
I went
home occassionally but there were things going on that I wasn't
happy with and many unfulfilled promises so I always returned to
my foster mother.
We
then moved again, right across England to the South East, where
we stayed for about two years, a period that was not very eventful
although I do remember the Winter of 1947/48 which was very long
with thick snow and very long icicles were hanging from roofs.
In
May 1948 we moved back to the Richmond area of London where I went
to Primary School and then to Secondary school.
Independent
Sport was important to me at that time and I spent a lot of time
rowing. During that time I was in the youngest crew to have taken
part in the 4¼ miles ‘Head of the River’ race.
During
that time I also used to go and watch Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The were in the old Division One at the time and used to play teams
like Blackpool and Preston (when they were good!) I will always
remember seeing the great Stanley Matthews play.
When
I finished school we moved, again, back to Hythe in Kent where I
started work as an Apprentice Draughtsman which included going to
college in Dover for a day and two evenings a week.
I
stayed there until I finished my apprenticeship, and then I applied
for a job at the de Havilland Aircraft Company in Hatfield in1960.
That was the time I left what I had called home and became independent.
Unusual
It was a very unusual childhood travelling around but I don't think
that being fostered made me decide to become a foster parent although
I have met many foster carers where this had been the case.
This
is partly because my wife Wendy and I kind of fell into fostering
and didn't actually sit down, decide we were going to do it and
then go out and look for it. Fostering found us.
But
having said that, I suppose that subconsciously being fostered has
helped me to understand the kids that are placed with us, having
had a somewhat unsettled childhood myself.
Since
becoming independent I have lived the complete antithesis of my
own childhood, being settled and having a stable family.
And
not having had a steady male role model as a child, I feel that
I have been able to provide what I missed to many who were in the
same situation.
Read
more about Jim and Wendy as foster parents >>
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| Peter
English, Worthing |
Wednesday,
10-Nov-2004 21:00:56 GMT |
|
| My
mother was sent to somewhere near Dulverton during the war.
There was an American base nearby and she had relations with
a GI. The consequences were that I have a half sister who, again
coincidentally, lives in the US. I have a name and a photo of
this "guy" and am trying to trace him or his family, if he survived.
What a wonderful story it would make if we could trace some
family and tell my all American niece she has relatives over
there. The problem I'm having is who to contact, are there are
US military records available, or local records, newspaper,
museum - would you know. Any help or information would be greatly
appreciated. Kind regards Peter English |
|
