Crossing the Atlantic as an evacuee

PEOPLE’S WAR.

Barbara Anderson (nee Hopkinson). Date of Birth 24.06.1931.

It was June 1940. I was, at the age of eight, sailing to Canada as an evacuee. My mother was taking me away from England and the war on the ship “Antonia” (or “Franconia” — I cannot remember which) from Liverpool to Quebec to stay with my aunt and uncle in Drummondville, Quebec.

I waved goodbye to my father on the Liverpool landing stage early in the morning about the 6th June. As I saw him recede into the distance to become a smaller and smaller figure the tears came! My mother comforted me.

We joined a convoy of ships and sailed around the north coast of Ireland to avoid the German submarines. The next day we left the convoy and proceeded alone into the Atlantic.

My mother was knitting and we were up on deck. She asked me to run down to the cabin and get the pattern. I remember her saying to a lady nearby “I don’t want her to leave me for long, there may be a “klaxon” warning!” On my way back there was! Everyone was sent below deck, but just before I went below I looked up and saw two swordfish planes fly very fast over and behind us.

My mother was supposed to go into the lower dining room with me where the steward was blowing up balloons and throwing a party — but she wouldn’t and insisted on standing on the stairs with me so we could get up on deck fast if necessary.

After about half an hour there was a tremendous explosion and we all jumped — then there was complete silence as we all listened. Then there was a huge cheer — the planes had blown up a German submarine that had been stalking us.

So, we continued on our way to Quebec. It took two weeks and all we met after that was an iceberg off the coast near the St Lawrence river. We were met at Quebec in blazing lights (which we were not used to with the “black-out” at home) with the huge Chateau Frontenac towering above us and a band played “Roll out the Barrell”.

We were safe.

A bit later that year another ship crossed over from Liverpool — “The City of Benares”. It was sunk by a German submarine and many evacuee children died, few were saved. My father, who worked for Cunard Shipping in Liverpool, had the job of telling the parents they had lost their children. For years afterwards parents kept coming into the office to see if he had heard anything. It was one of the saddest things he had ever had to do.

My mother returned to England six months later, leaving me settled down with my aunt and uncle for the next five years. She crossed from Halifax in convoy, my father knew that the Governor General of Canada was crossing in the same ship and felt it would be well protected and she would be safe — she was!

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