Audrey Jones - War Time Memories
When the war broke out in 1939 I was five years old and was at Oxford Gardens Infant School. I don't remember anything about the evacuation of the school but I remember my mother took my sister, Shirley, who was four and me to Esgairgeliog, a slate mining village in central Wales. This had been my father's childhood home and we stayed with Mr. & Mrs. Pugh at 1, Era Terrace. A son of theirs, Dafydd and his wife Blodwyn lived at number 3 and my mother's sister with her two children Margaret, three and Keith just two weeks old, stayed with them.
There was a communal, chemical toilet at the end of the little row of houses, no running water and no electricity. The only thing I really remember about my time there was sliding down a piece of shiny slate by a bridge near to where we were staying. It was very popular with all children of the village.
We were there for only a very short time as I think all was quiet in London. "The Phoney War" was what it was called, I believe, and we all returned home. The Pugh family had been very kind to us and whenever we went to Wales after the war we always visited them. We are still in touch with some of the younger members.
Some time in 1940 we left London again, presumably when the Blitz began. However, Wales was too far and this time my Uncle made arrangements for us to go to Middleton Cheney, near Banbury. My aunt, with her two children, stayed with the person they knew and my Mother, Shirley and I stayed on a dairy farm with Mr. and Mrs Gibbard and their daughter, Wendy. We went to the Evacuees' school which was held in the Baptist Church Hall and progressed to the Methodist Church Hall when were seven.
During this time my father was a fire-watcher and street warden in Bloomsbury, where his dairy was. I think we must have been home fairly often during 1940 and1941 but I know we were in Middleton Cheney in August 1941 as my sister, Beryl was born in a maternity hospital just outside Northampton. My mother's other sister came from London to look after my sister and me and I remember clearly visiting the hospital, although how we would have got there I have no idea. Of course we were not allowed into the hospital but we stood outside an open window and our new sister, Beryl was brought to see us. Our comment was, "Oh dear! Isn't she ugly". I don't think she has ever forgiven us!
We would have returned to London in the autumn because my mother's mother was very ill and she died in November.
I didn't enjoy leaving London but my sister and I had some happy times in Middleton Cheney as my mother was with us. There were fields to play in and we loved watching the cows being milked - by hand of course.
The only memories of my time at the evacuees' school are playing a triangle and singing "A little lamb went straying."
I do not know if we went back to Middleton Cheney immediately after my grandmother died but during 1942 and 1943 I was attending Oxford Gardens School for fairly long periods and we were definitely living with my aunt and grandfather in Finstock Road in June 1944. The Flying Bombs had begun their onslaught on London and we had become used to listening for the engine to cut out and then counting, breathing a sigh of relief if we could get to a high number before there was a bang. However, in the early hours of the morning of Sunday June 18th 1944 we had no chance to count, as my sister and I were asleep under the Morrison shelter in the dining room. We woke up at the sound of a terrific crash and Shirley shouted, "Look out, the mantelpiece is coming down!" It didn't, but windows were broken and ceilings were damaged.
My mother, aunt, grandfather and two year old Beryl were all sleeping upstairs. The shutter from the landing window had fallen on the stairs so they all had to slide down it and I remember seeing a bloody footprint - grandfather had stepped on some glass. We soon discovered that the flying bomb had dropped on St. Helen's Church.
Sunday School Anniversary was due to be celebrated at the Methodist Church. However, because of the devastation in the area, it was cancelled. I was going to be a "poppy"! I think the fact that I never did become a poppy has probably left an indelible mark on me!
The next day saw the family off to Middleton Cheney and once again we were made very welcome. This time we were enrolled in the village school, as no doubt most evacuees had returned home. Wendy was also a pupil there.
This was to be our last visit, for we returned to London in September 1944 as I was starting a new life at Burlington School.
Of course London was still suffering bombing; this time it was the V2 rockets. My only recollection of this was having lessons in the re-enforced cloakrooms when the sirens went.
Other War Memories
When we were living in Barlby Road we used to go into the cupboard under the stairs when the Air Raid warning went.
At Oxford Gardens School we could take a penny and a spoon for malt and a cup for milk. I seem to remember also, that we could have breakfast there.
My father's brother was in the Eighth Army serving in the desert but I remember him coming home on one occasion and bringing some bananas, which we had not seen for years. He also brought us some fine white material with little blue spots, which was made into dresses for me and my sister.
I remember the Barlby Road Victory party, which was held on the ground behind the houses. My sister fell over and was taken into a house to be patched up; I went with her.
