Tag: Alfold

January 1940

Mon 1

Went to cinema with Auntie Pat, Pat, Pam & Wendy.  Saw Mr. Motto Takes a Vacation, Stanley & Livingstone.  Good.

Tues 2

Mummy took Pat, Pam & myself to see “All the Best”, a review.  2/-  seats, ices and sweets, enjoyed ourselves.  Wendy at Auntie Pat’s.

Wed 3

Went to Auntie Pat’s, helped with curlers.  Torch broke.  Had film developed, jolly good.  Put them in album mummy gave me for Xmas.

Thurs 4

Went to Auntie Pat’s.  Mummy came later, arranged to have a party, we were going to play tennis on Friday, too cold.

Fri  5

Had a bit of a party.  Phoebe came gave me 6d.  Had a nice tea.  Mummy came out without key.  I was at Auntie Pat’s, she came in slipped???

Sat 6

Came back to Alfold, such a night, nearly got on wrong train, held it up, met Janet, went to new billet.  Quite nice, Miss Watson gave me 6 l. Mummy saw us off.

 

When Cynthia was evacuated from London, in September 1939, she and her baby sister Wendy were first billeted at the Rectory in Alfold village.  Her bedroom faced the cemetery, where a large rock supposedly marked the grave of a witch.  A previous occupant of the room, a girl named Mary, had scratched her name on the pane of glass with a diamond ring.  I wonder if it is still there?

I would have to guess mostly what she was saying, as her accent was really broad.

Naturally, I took advantage of the opportunity to get out, although in a little village like that, there was nowhere to go anyway.  I used to meet some of the other girls, and a few of the village boys.  It was all very harmless.  In the cold weather, if there happened to be ice, we’d go sliding around on it.  In the warm weather, we’d just walk and talk, and the boy I liked and sort of paired off with, would walk me home, and give me a shy boyish good-night kiss.

I think my trouble started, when I was invited to a birthday party for Beryl Burst.  A number of us went, and as the Eildons (Newburys??), went to bed fairly early they gave me the key to let myself in.  It was a wonderful party, and none of us got home until about 1 A.M.  Mr. Eildon informed Mr. B. that they had worried over me for hours.  I really don’t know what time they expected me to arrive home from the party.  Anyhow I was given a reprimand, and was told I had to get permission every time I went out, and to be back by 9 o’clock!  What humiliation, after all I had had permission to go to the party.

In my spare time, I wrote some letters, one to a girl friend, and one to the Daily Mirror, which I really hadn’t any intention of mailing.  Anyhow in the girl’s letter, I had mentioned a boy named Red, had kissed Joan, and had now got the measles, and in the other, had asked any lonely soldiers, sailors or airmen, if they wanted a pen pal, to write to me, as I was lonely too.  Mrs. E. must have been looking through my belongings, because one morning her husband asked me to please bring down the two letters I had in my drawer upstairs.  I like a frightened chick, went upstairs and got them and handed them over to him.  Next day, I was called to the headmasters study.  What a catastrophe, apparently it was immoral for the kids to have crushes and kiss boys, and there would probably be an epidemic of measles, (naturally the girl in question, denied kissing the boy), according to my letters the whole school was corrupt.

I omitted the fact that I had still another sister, Pamela, who had been evacuated with her school to Warminster, Wilts.  She wrote quite often, and quite enjoyed herself for a while, Mummy visited her too, and sent us both pocket money regularly every week we were away.  Pamela suddenly decided she was homesick, and wanted to come with me.  We finally arrived at a decision, that she should move in with Mr. and Mrs. B. and Wendy, and that I should be placed in another billet.  Naturally, I was thrilled, at last to be on my own.

We were allowed to go home for the occasional week-end and holidays, as the enemy had still not made an appearance over England.  When we got back, Mr. B. took me to Mrs. Robertson, the billeting officer, who was also Elizabeth’s mother.  She told us where to go, and said if the people weren’t home, to bring me back to her house.  I prayed they wouldn’t answer the door, as I would have loved to have stayed in that beautiful white house on the hill.  Mr. B. kept insistently ringing the bell though, and finally a woman with a broad Scotch accent came to the door.  She said she hadn’t expected me so soon, but if I didn’t mind sleeping with her sister for a couple of months, I was welcome immediately.  Being a rather shy child, I mention the fact that I could have stayed at Mrs. Robinson’s.

Mrs. Newbury introduced me to her sister who was a typical gaunt type Scots-woman, also to her husband, who was a likeable fellow, and their baby daughter, nicknamed Wendy.  They had a nice house, which he had built himself, being a bricklayer.  The room I shared with the sister was lovely, and I thought the coloured sheets were wonderful.  The bathroom had an imitation black and white marble bath-tub, and flush handle on the toilet, instead of the old pull chain, which was in existence in most places, so it was very modern for England.  It seemed like years before I had the bedroom to myself.  Every night was the same routine.  The sister would have the water bottle first, and finally give it to me when it had cooled off.