THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF MOTHERS EVACUATED DURING WW2

Today I re-read the evacuation account of child evacuee Margaret Le Poidevin who arrived in Stockport, Cheshire, from Guernsey, with her mother, in June 1940.

I was starkly reminded of the plight of many of the Channel Island mothers who, when they were released from the Evacuee reception centres,  discovered that they were not allowed to rent property unless their husbands were in the Forces.

As a result, many of the mothers whose husbands were trapped in occupied Guernsey shared houses with Guernsey mothers whose husbands were in the Forces. In one Stockport house, four mothers, with two or more children each, were crammed into a four bedroomed house for several years.

Margaret Le Poidevin and her mother shared a home (an empty corner shop building) with Mrs Tippett and her children. Their home is shown below.

In addition, some mothers were told by local officials "You cannot possibly care for your children on your own, without your husband. You should consider letting them live with local families until the war ends." To mothers who had left their homes and possessions behind in Guernsey, this really was the last straw.They refused to hand their children over. They were all that they had left!

You can find out more about this evacuee ‘homesharing’ in my ‘Diary of an Evacuee’ page on my Guernsey Evacuation website:- http://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com/diary-of-an-evacuee-jun-1940/

AN EXTRACT FROM THE WORLD WAR ONE DIARY OF THOMAS BESWICK

December 1914, in the trenches, France

It was Christmas and we were shouting across to the Germans, no firing that day. We were given whale oil to rub our feet to stop frost bite, then we got a week's rest as a battle was in the offing. We were not allowed to smoke or to make any noise, and lived on biscuit and bully beef, nobody was to know we were there. When we left there, we were put onto some big buses to go a long way. They were old buses open at the top and we expected them to turn over any minute, they came from London.

The next trenches were a lot better built and very close to the Germans – we could hear them talking. It was very safe as both sides were afraid of hitting their own soldiers. Up there were some locks and a river … the boys went bathing, it was ten feet deep. I could not swim and they threw me in, I never went near it again. There was nowhere to sleep and we made holes inside the trench bottom. After digging for two hours we made room for three to sleep in. Up came a boy and he jumped in, saying 'this is my place'. All the other lads jumped on top of him and it fell in. We were half an hour getting him out, he was almost gone.

             The Sherwood Forresters Military Band in Ashbourne, Derbyshire

Thomas Beswick was born in Flagg, Derbyshire in 1894.

This diary extract is reproduced courtesy of the Beswick family.

All of my history books can be viewed here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gillian-Mawson/e/B008MWQ0IE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_

Easter event at Whaley Bridge Railway Station

Come along if you can, we are on the railway line between Manchester and Buxton.

MAN RECEIVES SALMON IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR TRENCHES!

Today I would like to share an item with you which I received from Bury Library in Lancashire (@BuryLibrary on twitter)

It is an extract from a letter received from a Burnley man who was serving in the First World War trenches. 

He had previously written home to ask for a piece of salmon to be sent to him.  The salmon arrived some weeks later and led to the writing of this letter. Enjoy!

TO CELEBRATE WORLD POETRY DAY - A WARTIME EVACUEE'S POEM

This poem was written by Joan Ozanne, a child evacuee who fled Guernsey to England in June 1940. When Germany invaded Guernsey a week later, Joan lived in London for five years, amongst the terrors of the Blitz. In Summer 1945 she returned to Guernsey where she still resides. I love the poem so much that I placed it at the front of my book 'Guernsey Evacuees':

My childhood was left inside.

when I closed my bedroom door.

In the hall, distraught, father waits, mother weeps.

The dog unaware, wags his tail

and licks the tears from my face.

Reluctantly we speed to the harbour.

The smell of tobacco smoke on

father’s jacket will remain with me.

On the ship we say goodbye, perhaps forever.

I feel empty like a shell

You can read the first part of 'Guernsey Evacuees; The Forgotten Evacuees of the Second World War' for free at this Amazon link - just click on the book's cover:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guernsey-Evacuees-Gillian-Mawson/dp/0752470191/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345040949&sr=1-1

Update: June 2014: I am completing a book of 100 British evacuation stories, with wartime family photographs, to be published in September 2014 by Pen and Sword Books.  All of the evacuees featured spent all or part of the war on the British mainland.
To find out more and preview some of the stories and wartime photographs, see:  http://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com/britains-evacuees/

MY OLDEST EVACUEE!! VIOLET HATTON IS 101 YEARS OLD TOMORROW

MY OLDEST EVACUEE!!  VIOLET HATTON IS 101 YRS OLD TOMORROW!

In November 2011, I interviewed a lovely lady, Violet Hatton, in Guernsey.  In June 1940, she was evacuated from Guernsey with her sisters, mother and her 6 month old son, Brian. She left her husband Elijah behind. Violet really enjoyed sharing her family story with me. She is the oldest evacuee that I have interviewed as she was 99 years old at the time. It was a fascinating interview and segments of her story feature in my book 'Guernsey Evacuees'. Violet celebrates her 10^1st birthday tomorrow, March 15^th 2014. Below is a recent photograph of Violet and Brian.

Violet had very strong memories of her arrival at Weymouth in June 1940 and told me, “There were French interpreters there, who thought we spoke a foreign language and wore grass skirts! One of them even showed us how to use an electric light! They said 'Do you know about electricity?' We told them we were British citizens and that we had everything in the Channel Islands.”

Violet and her relatives were sent by steam train (they had never seen one before) to Stockport in Cheshire where they were welcomed by the locals. “We liked Stockport, everyone was so friendly and kind. Brian and I eventually moved in with a Mrs Bowler on Ash Grove. She could not do enough for us and all the ladies on our street gave us bedding, furniture and clothing – we had arrived with nothing you see, we had to leave all our possessions behind.”

Violet was very surprised when one day, her husband Elijah turned up at the door. He had left Guernsey a few days after Violet and somehow managed to trace her in Stockport. She told me “He had tickets for Guernsey in his hand, and I told him “We can't go back to Guernsey my dear, it has just been occupied by the Germans!” It was such a shock for him and he immediately joined the British Forces. He went to France first but later he was a Prisoner of War in Japan.”

Over 20,000 Channel Island evacuees were scattered throughout Britain and they formed Channel Island Societies so that they could meet up regularly. They organised fund raising events to buy clothing and furniture as they had all arrived with practically nothing. The meetings also gave the evacuees the chance to sit and talk about the friends and family they had left behind in Guernsey. Violet remembers these meetings: “Every Sunday we went to Tiviot Dale Church for our meetings, we talked about the Red Cross letters that had come from home – it was the only way you could contact Guernsey, just 25 words but they meant such a lot to us. Now and again we organised trips to Belle Vue Fairground and Zoo. Brian and I really loved the rides on the bumper cars! ” The evacuees also held rallies at Belle Vue, and in June 1943, over 6,000 evacuees met up there. The Stockport Society also printed a monthly evacuee magazine, the 'Channel Islands Monthly Review', which was bought by evacuees throughout Britain, and sent to Channel Islanders who were serving in the Forces abroad.  A ticket to the 1943 Belle Vue evacuee rally is shown below.

 When Guernsey was liberated by the British, on 9 May 1945, Violet could not make plans to return to Guernsey. Elijah was still a Prisoner of War. He had been freed in August 1945 and sent to Rangoon, so Violet had to wait for the letter that would announce his return home. “Every time the postman came to my door, I would ask if there was a letter from my husband and he would sadly reply 'No'. One day, in December 1945, the postman came to the door and before I could speak, he said 'Here is the letter that you have been waiting for!' I read it and it said 'I am OK, I will see you soon.' He came back just in time for Christmas but only weighed 6 stone, he didn't talk about it much but he had been forced to build the Burma railway and been beaten with bamboo canes.”

In April 1946, Violet, Elijah and Brian returned to Guernsey in time for the first Liberation Day celebration. “It was lovely to meet up with the rest of our family! During the war our house had been occupied by German troops so we went to live with my Mum, then later found a cottage.” Elijah found work as a porter at Elizabeth College and the family remained in touch with Mrs Bowler who had been so kind to them in Stockport. Violet told me “She visited Guernsey several times and it was lovely to show her around the island. In 1959 my son Brian returned to Stockport where he got married to a local girl, Beryl, and in 2009 they celebrated fifty years of marriage.” 

The photograph below shows Brian, aged 18 months, with his teddy bear. Because he was only 6 months old when Violet brought him to England, he has no memory of those events. He is a member of my Guernsey Evacuee Community Group, and shares his family's evacuation story by taking part in our community events. Find out more at: http://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com/community-project/

You can read the opening pages of my first book, 'Guernsey Evacuees: The Forgotten evacuees of the Second World War here, free:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guernsey-Evacuees-Gillian-Mawson/dp/0752470191

DISCOVER ONE HUNDRED BRITISH EVACUATION STORIES!

 

I have always had a passionate interest in social history, and during 2013 I collected stories from all over Britain for a new book on the experiences of Second World War evacuees. It will contain extracts from the personal stories of 100 evacuees - not just from children but also from the evacuated mothers and teachers who accompanied them - who spent the war in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These moving stories are accompanied by wartime photographs, many of which have been rescued from evacuees’ attics.

Prior to commencing work on this new book, I spent four years interviewing 200 evacuees for my first book, Guernsey Evacuees: The Forgotten Evacuees of the Second World War (published in 2012 by History Press). Over 17,000 evacuees fled the Channel Island of Guernsey to England in June 1940, just weeks before their island was occupied by Germany for five years. Sadly, many of these evacuees have died since my book was published, so I feel that it is vital that the personal memories of Second World War evacuees are recorded now before they are lost for ever.

For my new book I have also interviewed children and adults who found refuge on the British mainland from places such as the Channel Islands and Gibraltar (British territories) many of whom were not send to the safety of the British countryside.

I also have stories from those who arrived in Britain from France, Spain, the Ukraine and Belgium. One French child, Paulette, was sent to Guernsey, then evacuated again with her Guernsey Catholic school to England where she was financially supported by Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the American President. I also have the memories of Jewish children who fled Nazi Germany to England and Scotland. Kurt Gutmann stated years later "When I arrived in Scotland and was cared for by a very kind family, it was the first time in months, that I actually felt like a human being."

                                    Paulette was  financially supported bt Eleanor Roosevelt

Some children have very strong memories of leaving home and arriving at their new destinations whilst to others it was just a blur.

In July 1940, Lourdes Galliano was evacuated from Gibraltar to London, and recalls "My mother, my two sisters and I were taken to the Empress Hall in Earl's Court, a skating rink that had been converted into an evacuee reception centre. The rows of tiered seats in the hall had been closed and folding camp beds had been jammed into the gaps – there were 750 of us! As we lay on our camp beds we could see that the domed ceiling was entirely made of glass. Not very reassuring had we known what was to come – the London Blitz!"

                                                                   Lourdes Galliano

Peter St John Dawe recalled "On arrival in Leighton Buzzard, nobody knew what to do with me. So I ate my bun and chocolate, and spent the night in the station waiting room. The next morning, I broke my piggy bank and bought a sandwich at the station buffet.

Some stories are very positive, with evacuees being extremely happy, gaining new experiences and making new friends. Indeed, many formed a lasting bond with the families they were billeted with. Adelaide Harris was evacuated from Hull to Lincolnshire then billeted with the Wright family and their children Arthur and Renee. She grew to love them all and told me, "When I eventually returned home, I cried for days which wasn't nice at all for her Mum and Dad. I also missed Arthur and Renee very badly."

Doreen Holden was evacuated to Matlock in Derbyshire and told me, "A nice couple took me in because my name was Doreen, the same as their little girl's! They treated me very well, bought me dolls and made me jelly and custard because I hated rice pudding! Their house was opposite Riber Castle and at night I sat in my bedroom watching the castle in the moonlight. It was magical and felt like Fairyland!"

Jim Marshall was evacuated from Rochford to Gloucestershire and told me, "My brother Dick and I were very lucky as we were chosen, along with 5 other boys, by Mrs Percival who lived at a huge manor house, Priors Lodge. The following morning, we looked out of the window with disbelief to see a huge long drive which seemed to disappear for miles into the distance!"

I have also gathered stories from mothers and teachers who travelled with the groups of evacuated school children, and who took on a huge amount of responsibility. Jessie Robertson recalled arriving in Bishop Auckland with her pupils and comparing that area with their home town of Gateshead, "Saturday was spent seeing that the children were settling in. They had all come from a new housing estate where every house had an indoor toilet and bathroom and most were housed in homes without either – as I was. Once a week, on a Friday evening, I was invited by the lady next door to use her bathroom. I think that it was the only one in that terraced street."

Headmaster Philip Godfray brought children from his school to England from the island of Alderney, in the Channel Islands. Because of fears that the islands would be invaded by Germany (and they were just a few days later) Philip left at very short notice. As a result, he did not have the chance to pack his teaching certificates, so was unable to continue teaching his children in England.

 

Agnes Camp left Guernsey with her son Dennis, arriving in Stockport with no money or possessions. Dennis told me, "Mum moved us into a cottage which only had half a roof and the landlord, Mr Murdoch, knocked on the door saying 'This place is condemned Mrs Camp!' Mum replied 'Well, I have nowhere else to go.' and he had replied 'Well, for your pluck, I will have the roof done!"  

                                                                   Mrs Agnes Camp

Some children - teachers and adults - never returned home to their families after the war, others were physically or mentally abused, and some died during their time away from home. George Osborn, and his sister were evacuated from Portsmouth to Wootton on the Isle of Wight. George told me, “Brenda and I were placed in separate billets. I was very badly treated in mine, but with Brenda's help, I was moved into her billet. However, on 28 December 1941 I was on my own again when Brenda died of blood poisoning. This was caused by an infection after an inoculation against diphtheria, which was given, ironically, to immunize us against a killer disease of the time.”

                                       George and Brenda Osborn - just before they were evacuated

I have also collected stories from people who took evacuees into their homes during the war, or who offered assistance to evacuees when they arrived in their towns and cities. Judy Fox's family cared for two evacuees from Gosport and recalls "They lived in the house with my Uncle and Aunt, Mum, me and four cousins, so there was quite a crowd of us! In addition we had no running water, gas or electricity! Roger and Ruth went to school with my cousins, and they were treated exactly the same way as we were, as a part of the family." Another moving account comes from a Lancashire man, John Fletcher, who felt so sorry for the hundreds of evacuee children who arrived in his home town, Bury, without their parents, that he tirelessly raised funds throughout the war so that they could have a Christmas present and a party every year.

There is so much more to the evacuation story than groups of children arriving at railway stations with labels tied their coats. Hopefully this book, with the help of the family photographs, will paint a picture of how the British people opened up their homes to evacuated children and adults during the dark days of the war.

Photographs kindly provided by the evacuees and their families.

My book Evacuees: Children's Lives on the World War Two Home Front will be published on 30 September 2014 by Pen & Sword Books.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1783831537?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creativeASIN=1783831537&linkCode=xm2&tag=guerevacoralh-21