A War Time Evacuee

This story was submitted to the People’s War website by a volunteer from CSV/BBC London on behalf of Jean May and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs May fully understands the site’s terms and conditions

A Poem

A WAR TIME EVACUEE

Arriving at the station with my gas mask in a box
The teacher asked quite firmly would I please pull up my socks.
Turning to my mother, I was feeling full of woe
“Please take me home with you” I said “Just do not want to go”.

My pleas went unanswered and soon the train set off,
So settled down resignedly my sandwiches to scoff.
Little Don sat beside me, school cap rammed on his head,
He was so still and silent, we wondered was he dead?

The train rattled on to Worthing, “Get off now” the guardsman said.
We marched along the road in two’s arriving at a shed.
Waiting for selection, all others long since gone,
We formed a semicircle — five girls and little Don.

It seems no one wants us, my feelings I must hide.
It didn’t work for Audrey; she just broke down and cried.
Then it was like a miracle, this jolly man appeared
“Follow me you kids,” he yelled, as through the doors he steered.

Then in a car we travelled to this lovely grand abode.
Now this is very nice I thought, it beats the Old Kent Road.
A cook, a maid, a chauffeur, a gardener as well,
Had never known such luxury — it was like a big hotel.

They were all so kind to us; we had a lot of fun.
Little Don cheered up a bit, but he sadly missed his mum.
To school in the motor it was very grand,
The other kids were envious, their digs awfully bland.

Cook was my favourite; she was nice and fat,
And gave us lovely things to eat, could find no fault with that.
She gave little Don cuddles; he was such a pet,
And didn’t seem to mind when the bed he sometimes wet.

But the lady of the house didn’t like us I could tell,
She said we were noisy, untidy and we made her life hell.
Suddenly we had to leave this place we had come to know
And went off sadly, with little Don in tow.

Not a dry eye among us, staff and children too,
Except the lady of the house,
She didn’t say goodbye to us, perhaps she had the flu.

The next place we were sent could only manage three,
So it was decided they would send Audrey, Little Don and me.
It was so small, so cold, so damp and we were feeling lost,
Heard a knock upon the door, could it be Jack Frost?

The lady didn’t light the fire till five; this seemed to be the rule,
So it was always chilly when we came home from school.
Pulled the curtains in the morning and we got such a fright,
The cemetery across the road was not a pretty sight.

Things seem to go from bad to worse; it’s winter now you see,
Oft times the lady wasn’t in and we hadn’t got a key.
So we sat on a gravestone, that seemed the thing to do,
Lifted little Don up so he got a better view.
We tried hard to keep warm, poor tiny tot,
Wrapped a scarf around his legs but it didn’t help a lot.

My mother learned of these goings-on and she was very cross,
Turned up unexpectedly and we soon knew who was the boss.
“This will not do” I heard her cry “I m taking Jean away
No I won’t wait until tomorrow, I am taking her today”
Just hated leaving little Don and his sister too,
But had no choice, just had to go, wished they were coming too.

It was just a little later, perhaps a month or two,
When we were doing shopping and the air raid siren blew.
We hurried to the underground; the Warden waved us on,
and standing on the platform was darling little Don.
He looked so contented, as if he had found the Promised Land,
it was really all he wanted just to hold his mother’s hand.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.