- Contributed by
- A7431347
- People in story:
- Peter, Peggy and Richard Hill. Mr and Mrs Hill
- Location of story:
- Canterbury and Reading
- Background to story:
- Civilian
- Article ID:
- A6415166
- Contributed on:
- 26 October 2005
In 1940 we were living in Querns Road, Canterbury. I think the rent was four shillings a week and there was a living room cum lounge, kitchen, bathroom under the stairs, an outdoor loo in a cubby hole and on the otherside there was a coal bunker. There were three bedrooms upstairs.
We were evacuated when the Germans were coming into England after Dunkirk. Mum told us. The authorities said because Canterbury was to become a fortress. Mum went too. We were taken by car. We went to Swansea Road, Cavendish, Reading. There was a sweet shop on the corner and a green grocer on the other.
We was only there a fortnight. We didn’t go to school; we used to play down side the River Thames, down an alleyway, me, my brothers and other children that had been evacuated. If you follow the towpath, you come to Cavendish Park.
The house we were living in; behind that was a Dunlop Tyre Factory and it was bombed one night. My Mum phoned my dad and said if she was going to die with the children she wanted to do it at home so “Come and get us!” So we went back home and so went through the rest of it!
This story was submitted to the People’s War Site by Helena Noifeld of BBC Radio Kent and has been added to the website on behalf of Peter Hill with his permission and he fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.
© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.
Recommended story
Story with photo 