Description
Object description
A detailed and well written word-processed account (two copies of 84pp, written August 1996) covering the period 1939 – 1942 when he was twice evacuated, with details of seeing the preparation for war (1939), taking the 11+ exam and joining selective school, his family moving from Walthamstow, East London, to his grandfather's bungalow near Bishops Stortford, Essex when war was declared (September 1939), his grandfather having served in the RASC then motor machine gun corps in the First World War, and having one leg after a motorbike crash in 1920, details of the bungalow and living conditions, descriptions of the farm and village, being caught scrumping by the vicar, joining the village school, the differences between the schools and feeling out of place, a story of his granddad leaving a light in the chicken shed to aid US pilots landing in 1943, returning to Walthamstow (October 1939), the combining of his school, George Gascoigne Central School, with the William Morris Central School due to other evacuations and shortage of teachers, schoolboy pranks, preparations for the evacuation of the school (June 1940), going by train via Paddington to Blaenavon, Monmouthshire, the welcome from the mayor and others on arrival, the choosing of the children by adults, descriptions of the couple he stayed with, 'Auntie' Jeannie and 'Uncle' Bert, the baker, their kindness, starting school in Park Street in mixed classes but with their own teachers, praise for his headmaster, Geoffrey Grantham, descriptions of Blaenavon and the coal mining in the region, and the house he was staying in, bathing in front of the fire, the closeness and friendliness of the community, the school and lessons, leisure time in the cinema and Liberal Club where the evacuees were honorary members, the local shops, run-ins with the local boys, working as a delivery boy for the bakery after school, doing homework in the entrance to an abandoned mine shaft, delivering newspapers, attending Chapel and more pranks, fights with local boys and boxing at school, a visit by his father prior to his joining the RAF, snow in 1940 and sledging, picking up shrapnel from bombs which hit a local mountain, exploring the local areas, a trip down a pit with a miner, music and radio programmes he listened to, hearing news of the war's progress, digging for victory in allotments, finding fossils and developing a love for geology, weather, animals, returning to London during spring holiday 1942 and seeing the evidence of bombing, coming down with jaundice, returning to the newly reopened William Morris Central School in Walthamstow rather than return to Wales, and ending with an evaluation of his experiences. Together with a second account entitled 'Some Memories of a Walthamstow Teenager, 1942 - 1945' (33pp, plus illustrations, written February 1995), starting with his volunteering for the Civil Defence as a part-time messenger (1942), details of his kit and duties, based in Hoe Street, Walthamstow, training and lectures, public support for CD waning after the end of the Blitz, checking public air raid shelters and details of types of people there, his bicycles being damaged, leisure time, cinemas, his local barrage balloon, the area being a tempting target for bombing, experiencing a 'mini-blitz' (February - April 1944), very detailed descriptions of an air raid including the sights, sounds and smells, as well as his feelings, and descriptions of the aftermath, V1 flying bombs being more dangerous psychologically than normal raids, working in areas outside Walthamstow such as Leyton, anti-aircraft guns and 'Z' Rocket Batteries, enemy planes being shot down, seeing the build-up of vehicles for D-Day, the start of the V1 attacks, becoming an Air Raid Warden rather than a messenger, searching wrecked homes, the effect of disease and pests on the public health, his day job as a junior insurance-broking clerk at Lloyds of London, slight injuries from shrapnel, coded letters to his father about raids, close calls, V2 rockets landing with details of their location and damage, stargazing at night helped by the blackout, and ending with other memories of the time, included his family's shelters and his elderly grandmother, being sacked from his first job but joining an insurance firm, transport, pets and other animals, rationing, 'make do and mend' attitudes, and other anecdotes, the end of the war and the 'war-time spirit' starting to dissipate, and his pride in Walthamstow and his part in its defence.
Content description
A detailed and well written word-processed account (two copies of 84pp, written August 1996) covering the period 1939 – 1942 when he was twice evacuated, with details of seeing the preparation for war (1939), taking the 11+ exam and joining selective school, his family moving from Walthamstow, East London, to his grandfather's bungalow near Bishops Stortford, Essex when war was declared (September 1939), his grandfather having served in the RASC then motor machine gun corps in the First World War, and having one leg after a motorbike crash in 1920, details of the bungalow and living conditions, descriptions of the farm and village, being caught scrumping by the vicar, joining the village school, the differences between the schools and feeling out of place, a story of his granddad leaving a light in the chicken shed to aid US pilots landing in 1943, returning to Walthamstow (October 1939), the combining of his school, George Gascoigne Central School, with the William Morris Central School due to other evacuations and shortage of teachers, schoolboy pranks, preparations for the evacuation of the school (June 1940), going by train via Paddington to Blaenavon, Monmouthshire, the welcome from the mayor and others on arrival, the choosing of the children by adults, descriptions of the couple he stayed with, 'Auntie' Jeannie and 'Uncle' Bert, the baker, their kindness, starting school in Park Street in mixed classes but with their own teachers, praise for his headmaster, Geoffrey Grantham, descriptions of Blaenavon and the coal mining in the region, and the house he was staying in, bathing in front of the fire, the closeness and friendliness of the community, the school and lessons, leisure time in the cinema and Liberal Club where the evacuees were honorary members, the local shops, run-ins with the local boys, working as a delivery boy for the bakery after school, doing homework in the entrance to an abandoned mine shaft, delivering newspapers, attending Chapel and more pranks, fights with local boys and boxing at school, a visit by his father prior to his joining the RAF, snow in 1940 and sledging, picking up shrapnel from bombs which hit a local mountain, exploring the local areas, a trip down a pit with a miner, music and radio programmes he listened to, hearing news of the war's progress, digging for victory in allotments, finding fossils and developing a love for geology, weather, animals, returning to London during spring holiday 1942 and seeing the evidence of bombing, coming down with jaundice, returning to the newly reopened William Morris Central School in Walthamstow rather than return to Wales, and ending with an evaluation of his experiences. Together with a second account entitled 'Some Memories of a Walthamstow Teenager, 1942 - 1945' (33pp, plus illustrations, written February 1995), starting with his volunteering for the Civil Defence as a part-time messenger (1942), details of his kit and duties, based in Hoe Street, Walthamstow, training and lectures, public support for CD waning after the end of the Blitz, checking public air raid shelters and details of types of people there, his bicycles being damaged, leisure time, cinemas, his local barrage balloon, the area being a tempting target for bombing, experiencing a 'mini-blitz' (February - April 1944), very detailed descriptions of an air raid including the sights, sounds and smells, as well as his feelings, and descriptions of the aftermath, V1 flying bombs being more dangerous psychologically than normal raids, working in areas outside Walthamstow such as Leyton, anti-aircraft guns and 'Z' Rocket Batteries, enemy planes being shot down, seeing the build-up of vehicles for D-Day, the start of the V1 attacks, becoming an Air Raid Warden rather than a messenger, searching wrecked homes, the effect of disease and pests on the public health, his day job as a junior insurance-broking clerk at Lloyds of London, slight injuries from shrapnel, coded letters to his father about raids, close calls, V2 rockets landing with details of their location and damage, stargazing at night helped by the blackout, and ending with other memories of the time, included his family's shelters and his elderly grandmother, being sacked from his first job but joining an insurance firm, transport, pets and other animals, rationing, 'make do and mend' attitudes, and other anecdotes, the end of the war and the 'war-time spirit' starting to dissipate, and his pride in Walthamstow and his part in its defence.
History note
Cataloguer SJO