Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Were you evacuated ?

Hopefully this is in the right place.
Is there someone who can help ? My daughter for school needs 10 questions answering by someone who was evacuated during the war.We have no relatives alive or anyone we know who are old enough.
1. How old were you when you were evacuated ?
2. Where about were you evacuated to ?
3. What type of memories did you have , please explain ?
4. Did you get evacuated with siblings ? If yes, who ?
5. Explain how you felt by being evacuated ?
6. How far did you have to travel ?
7. Did you enjoy your time whilst being evacuated ? Please describe.
8. How long were you evacuated for ?
9. Did you travel back home at any time ? If yes, why ?
10. How did it feel when you were told you could go home ? Please describe this feeling .

We would be extremely grateful if anyone could. Thanks in advance.

im sure there will be somebody on here who could help you. if not, i could answer the majority of questions- not based on personal experience- but based on many (sometimes repetitive) conversations that i have had with my nan- in- law. Sadly, she passed away in November.

Thanks, any answers gratefully received to save my ears from being nagged to bits by my daughter , lol !

From my grandmother, Grace

1. How old were you when you were evacuated ?
6 or 7. We had to go, not a lot of time to think about it.

2. Where about were you evacuated to ?
Abersoch, Sarn Bach

3. What type of memories did you have , please explain ?
Sleeping in shed when lady took in a lodger.
No sweets, no pop, no bread, no butter
Half a day at school – the Welsh went in half day then we went in.
A lot of walking - always so tired because of all the walking.
Go to beaches a lot – seagulls eggs laid in sand it was so quiet that they could do this without being disturbed.
You could see all the stars at night because it was so dark, no street lights back then.

4. Did you get evacuated with siblings ? If yes, who ?
Yes with brother but we got separated – he went to a very posh lady and I went to a farmer. She wanted to keep him as she had no children of her own. My little sister was still a baby so stayed at home with my mum.

5. Explain how you felt by being evacuated ?
Excited – we didn’t really know what was happening but we’d never been on the train before so we were all really excited.

6. How far did you have to travel ?
Don’t remember, far away but when we got there they were all speaking a funny language. They were mostly very kind but we were all terrified.

7. Did you enjoy your time whilst being evacuated ? Please describe.
Excited about getting on train at Port Sunlight, they gave us horlicks tablets which made us feel sick but they were like sweets so we ate them anyway and we had our gas masks, carrying them by a piece of string in a box. Loads of children on the platform, mums with their hats on and holding their handbags.
On the train we were singing “It’s a long way to Tipperary”

8. How long were you evacuated for ?
Not long, think my mum missed us.
Mum brought me back ‘if we’re going to die we’ll all die together’ in time for May Blitz – I came home too early really

9. Did you travel back home at any time ? If yes, why ?
No

10. How did it feel when you were told you could go home ? Please describe this feeling .
Don’t remember but the kids said I spoke funny when I came back. My brother stayed a bit longer and my mum was ok with that because she knew he was safe.

I hope this helps

Brilliant!

Christine and Grace , Thank you very, very much for doing this ! It is fantastic ! You are so lucky to have someone who has experience of this. My own grandparents are gone now but were older so not evacuated, my nan actually drove our queen round when she was in ATS. Keita

No problem, good luck with the homework. Just post if there's anything else you'd like to know and I will ask her for you

Christine

Can't answer all the questions , but for info only my Dad grew up in Shore Drive in New Ferry (he would have been 10 when the war started).He got evacuated and went to live in Portmadog (for a couple of years I think).His brother who was a year or so older was not evacuated and used to deliver telegrams if the lines went down during an air raid , delivering telegrams with his gas mask on . My Mum lived in Port Sunlight but she never got evacuated so I guess there was some sort of cut off with the distance from the river you lived re whether you went or not? My Dad remembered the people he stayed with (a school teacher with , by coincidence the same surname) fondley and kept in touch with them for many years.

Thanks for that info,really interesting.