Description
Object description
Word-processed memoir 'A Wartime Childhood' of a boy born in 1931 (58pp, written 2012), illustrated throughout with copies of photographs, and containing details of his father from Scotland and mother from Wales, both doctors, pre-war holidays with family, schooling at Dulwich College Preparatory School, London, his family taking part in experiments in rationing in preparation for the war, the start of the war, he and his brothers being evacuated to various relatives, staying with aunts in Cardiff looking over Roath Park, his aunt being a doctor in the Welsh Board of Health, being enrolled at Llandaff Cathedral School, a private school, seeing German Jewish neighbours being interned, news of the war, seeing the change to South London in Summer 1940, his first experience of an air raid and staying in a friend's shelter, being sent back to Wales, accompanying his aunt on medical inspections, his parents coming to stay after their house was damaged by bombing, having to move to Llanelli to join his brother, aunt and uncle, and grandmother, due to threats of bombing to Cardiff, attending Old Road Elementary School, the differences between this mixed school and Dulwich College, school life and free time, young love, learning Welsh, moving to St Mike's school at The Bryn, weather, returning to Dulwich in Spring 1942, his parents working hard on public health and air raid victims, the bomb damage on his house, starting at Epsom College, teachers and students, summer holiday at an aunt's castle in Ayrshire, school numbers increasing as boys returned from evacuation, being streamed, joining the boy scouts, his eldest brother John joining the ARP, experiencing the blackout and sporadic bombing, joining the college Sea Cadets as an Able Seaman, trips to Portsmouth and tours of ships and shore establishments, effects of rationing, attending social events run by a youth fellowship at St Stephen's Church in College Road, his first girlfriend, news of D-Day (June 1944), first sightings of a V1 flying bomb, seeing V1s dropping and exploding, V2 rockets hitting, returning to his aunts in Cardiff for the holidays, staying with one of his aunts and her husband in Aberayron, finally being baptised, returning to Dulwich and seeing the devastation caused by the V weapons, including damage to his house and Dulwich College, playing on bomb sites, the end of the war in Europe and VE Day celebrations, being on holiday when his house burned down by an accident, having to move out for two years while it was repaired, and the subdued celebrations of VJ Day (May 1945), with an epilogue stating that one of his first patients as a medical student in 1950 was a concentration camp survivor.
Content description
Word-processed memoir 'A Wartime Childhood' of a boy born in 1931 (58pp, written 2012), illustrated throughout with copies of photographs, and containing details of his father from Scotland and mother from Wales, both doctors, pre-war holidays with family, schooling at Dulwich College Preparatory School, London, his family taking part in experiments in rationing in preparation for the war, the start of the war, he and his brothers being evacuated to various relatives, staying with aunts in Cardiff looking over Roath Park, his aunt being a doctor in the Welsh Board of Health, being enrolled at Llandaff Cathedral School, a private school, seeing German Jewish neighbours being interned, news of the war, seeing the change to South London in Summer 1940, his first experience of an air raid and staying in a friend's shelter, being sent back to Wales, accompanying his aunt on medical inspections, his parents coming to stay after their house was damaged by bombing, having to move to Llanelli to join his brother, aunt and uncle, and grandmother, due to threats of bombing to Cardiff, attending Old Road Elementary School, the differences between this mixed school and Dulwich College, school life and free time, young love, learning Welsh, moving to St Mike's school at The Bryn, weather, returning to Dulwich in Spring 1942, his parents working hard on public health and air raid victims, the bomb damage on his house, starting at Epsom College, teachers and students, summer holiday at an aunt's castle in Ayrshire, school numbers increasing as boys returned from evacuation, being streamed, joining the boy scouts, his eldest brother John joining the ARP, experiencing the blackout and sporadic bombing, joining the college Sea Cadets as an Able Seaman, trips to Portsmouth and tours of ships and shore establishments, effects of rationing, attending social events run by a youth fellowship at St Stephen's Church in College Road, his first girlfriend, news of D-Day (June 1944), first sightings of a V1 flying bomb, seeing V1s dropping and exploding, V2 rockets hitting, returning to his aunts in Cardiff for the holidays, staying with one of his aunts and her husband in Aberayron, finally being baptised, returning to Dulwich and seeing the devastation caused by the V weapons, including damage to his house and Dulwich College, playing on bomb sites, the end of the war in Europe and VE Day celebrations, being on holiday when his house burned down by an accident, having to move out for two years while it was repaired, and the subdued celebrations of VJ Day (May 1945), with an epilogue stating that one of his first patients as a medical student in 1950 was a concentration camp survivor.
History note
Cataloguer SJO