Moving to Nottingham From London

This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/BBC Radio Nottingham on behalf of Maureen Masters with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

During the war they were evacuating children from London to the North and to Wales. My Dad had been called up to the RAF and was stationed away. My Mum said “no way, I’m going home to Nottingham” so the next thing I knew we were living in Nottingham with my grandparents — she hadn’t wanted us to all be separated.
Friends of ours in London were blown by the force of a bomb at the end of their road from their front door through to the back of the house, 3 of them went flying. Fortunate they survived. Mum decided that’s enough, we’re going home to Nottingham.
I was 4 years old and I was bullied for speaking differently as I had a London accent, I dealt with it myself.
The time around the war was very austere, I look on the 1940’s as being black. There was nothing to buy. I was fortunate as my grandparents had a big garden and could grow things and cook and mother was a seamstress so I didn’t go with out. We very rarely saw Dad unless we went to him where he was stationed. Consequently we travelled quite a lot and went to a lot of different schools.

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