Meeting the Children: 5 August – 8 August 1940

Monday 5^th August

We arose on Monday morning and prepared ourselves for battle. Although there had been a double decker bus for five people, we only had one car to take twenty of us and our lug­gage. We arrived at Holt High School in relays. At first we just waited for something to happen. The children were in the charge of their train escorts. During the remainder of the morning we carried out a kit inspection. Most of them were very well equipped, but two boys had only the clothes they stood up in. We made lists of those who lacked any­thing.

Half way through the morning half our escorts went down to the girls’ school. Among them was Sylvia — a Flanagan and Allan: her departure was somewhat dramatic.

She was sprawled on the floor of the hall carrying on a very one-sided, my-little-man conversation with a small boy (completely overawed) when the leader asked her “What on earth are you doing here? You are meant to be at the girls’ school.” So she disappeared in a violent scuffle. It is sad in a way that we lost her.

I hate to think of the humourous pearls she is dropping like bricks (or should it be dropping bricks like pearls?) which I am not hearing. One of her best today was this. She asked me how many escorts we had. I replied “Seven men and 13 ladies.” Whereupon she seized a chair and firmly sat down beside me and gave me a smart talking to. The gist of it was this. “Look here, we might as well get this straight from the start. I think we will call ourselves ‘women’. After all, ladies is a debased term nowadays. I mean you have charladies and so on.” (I was unable to get a word in here to say that you also have washer- loose and scarlet women.) Her parting shot, calculated I sup­pose to be completely convincing to me was, “After all, the Church always refers to us as women, don’t they?” I agreed and only just refrained from expressing my doubt whether she really came even in the category of women.

But this is supposed to be about meeting the children. I made some contact with mine before lunch. The first impression was very favourable, many of them were delightfully grubby.

Given a joint of mutton, some potatoes and greens (as I suppose the cookers of the lunch had been) I think it would have been impossible to produce a more stomach-turning meal than the lunch we ate.

Immediately after lunch we took over from the land escorts. Head section A of the boys. I put them in order, with a bigger boy to look after each smaller one and then we all had marching practice. We then formed up for a visit from Mr. Shakespeare. He was a very delightful person and quite won the boys’ hearts by asking them their CORB numbers and then telling them all their names and addresses by referring to the lists. He gave them a little talk on being ambassadors. He told them what Canadians would say if they were naughty and what they would say if they were good. (“But don’t be too good,” he added, “Just good enough.”) This pleasant interlude was ended by cheers.

After this, Anderson took the boys who lacked clothing while I supervised the issue of CORB number discs (“to be hung round the neck and never removed”). This was rather a job as the numbers were not consecutive. However we finished in time for tea at six.

We decided to put the five and six year olds in a separate room with a nurse. We started on this at once. I washed Kendal and Peter and put them to bed. They were all pretty tired and soon quietened down. In spite of our washing of them the massive odour made revision of plans necessary. No escort slept in their room. I started off in the hall, getting the hundred boys in there off to bed. Two other classrooms were also in use as dormitories. Each boy had a palaisse and two good blankets. I went round and had a short silence in each place followed by Prayers and the Blessing. I then took out letters for the post – some of which I had to re-address myself. One of them was marked URGENT OHMS.

I came back and set up my camp bed and made a desk out of three parcels and a suitcase and wrote. I have just come back from refreshing myself with two glasses of milk, apricots and sandwiches. All is now very quiet – one hundred and fifty minds are dreaming (I hope) – some of home and coal mines and air raids and others of Canada and Red Indians!

The boys have had nothing done to help them at all today and we have not been able to organise any games. But they have all been wonderfully good and the older boys have been very helpful and considerate for the young ones.

There are two boys in sick bay. One of the girls has developed chicken pox. I am not sure but it sounds to me as though one of the boys in the hall has just been “ill”. I am going to make my bed and lie in it.

Tuesday 6^th August

My two blankets behaved as they ought and I slept very well till roused by the sound of bare feet running to the bathroom. I got up at seven and we cleared the building before breakfast which was just before nine.

A dismal little boy from Middlesbrough came up to me. He opened the conversation with the usual question. “When are we going on the boat?” My indefinite reply was followed by a pause for thought and then, “How much is the fare to Middlesbrough?”

“Quite a lot of money.”

“How much is a letter?”

“Tuppence ha’penny.” I think he sent a letter.

During breakfast “Please sir, can we move from our table? A boy’s been sick.” I ate a terrific meal of flakes and scrambled eggs. I had the morning off while other escorts were detailed to give the boys PT and exercises. I left for the city with Miss Nott with a request that we should find the boys completely exhausted on our return.

We went down to the Pier head and then up to the Anglican Cathedral. It is a fine site but the surroundings are disgraceful – not much Glory to God in the streets round there. I thought the building very fine.

(I said Matins to myself before breakfast. The first lesson Jeremiah 42 seemed singularly inappropriate.

‘But if ye say we will not dwell in this land but we will go where we shall see no war nor have hunger of bread then it shall come to pass that the sword which ye feared will overtake you and the famine will follow close upon you.’

The Psalms, I am glad to say, were more cheerful.)

Lunch again today was pretty unappetising. I learned later that the government are paying 1/ 6 a head per meal: could anything be more disgraceful.

This afternoon I was in charge again and we had games from half past two to five. The old­est boys played cricket and the others rounders and other games; the five and six year olds were taken off to rest. I shared a group of seven and eight year olds with Captain Cox (Miss) of the Salvation Army. We gave the boys and ourselves plenty of exercise. Just before tea the 5 and 6s had a shower – how they loved it.

I was supposed to be off duty in the evening but I supervised showers for all the rest. The leading question was, for a time, supplanted. No longer “Sir, when are we going on the boat?” but “Sir, do we have to have a shower?”

In spite of all their exercise the boys were pretty rowdy this evening. I went to the nurs­ery for prayers. First of all we had a short silence for us each to think of our own parents etc, then I said I would say a prayer for them all, would they like me to say anything special? A little hand went up and a small voice said, “Our Father.” So we all said the Lord’s Prayer together. I think that I shall always remember saying that with sixteen small voic­es joining in so well.

The hall boys were very rowdy: no one was on the spot there. I went in twice and the sec­ond time, assisted by the threat that they would be sent to bed early and in strict silence tomorrow, proved effective.

We have a delightful Canadian nurse with us, approaching middle age but very vivacious. Her remark, “Gee, what a thing it is to be patriotic”, ranks as one of the best for today.

We learned today of our departure from here on Thursday for the north, and of our proba­ble ports of sailing.

The collection of pocket money by escorts today showed that we were a good cross sec­tion of English youth. Two boys that I heard of had £1.0 with them. Others had shillings and one only sixpence.

Orthodoxy in letterwriting: “We are staying at a High School ‘Somewhere in England’,” and to mother: “Dear Mrs Wade I arrived at my destination safely and at my destination we had super. I expect to go on Wednesday. We have had nice food and drink. We sleep on mattresses and we are covered by blankets.* With best wishes from Keith. PS Please excuse pencil.

[A footnote reads: * dirt, Ed.]

Wednesday 7^th August

I was woken up pretty early but got to sleep again and slept right through my alarm. After breakfast we had a disc inspection and the old question cropped up again. Are we going now? Donald Smith was one of the most eager to go. We went through with this inspection and then I got my section’s big cases packed. We then set about washing all the towels and socks and stockings. This took us right through till lunch time.

I was off again after lunch. It was raining so I went into Liverpool to see Charlie’s Big Hearted Aunt. It helped me quite a lot! After tea we had to unpack the cases to get out a pair of socks for each boy as someone had turned off the heating in the drying room and the things weren’t dry. We soon got the little ones to bed. I then led a sing song in the hall for an hour and a half.

Just before this, Mrs Anderson and I had a passage of arms with Billy Bishop, Donald Smith and Noel. Billy Bishop (of “How mooch is the fare to Middlesbrough” fame) had started an “I want to go home” movement. They were holding protest meetings in the passages and spreading quite a lot of subversive propaganda. The movement was spreading like wild fire, but Mrs Anderson was tactful.

She explained to Billy what a lucky chap he was and after some time they were a bit appeased. I got the hall people to bed. They were very rowdy and terribly excited about tomorrow. They were in bed about nine and now – just after eleven – I have been in, I hope for the last time.

I had long chats with a lot of them. Billy, Donald and Noel were sleeping next to each other so I sounded them or rather they sounded me first. Noel said quite voluntarily, “I’m glad I’m going,” and Billy added, “So am I. Do you know they are paying thousands of pounds to send me to Canada?” He is very full of his own importance is our Billy and his words, even if a bit of an exaggeration, describe what I consider to be one of the best investments our government have made. It is worth thousands to get him out of the way.

The lady escorts have been splendid today: the brunt of the washing fell upon them, and otherwise they have worked like anything. Elliott became a little difficult at supper. Ticking other escorts off right and left, and generally saying how he thought things ought to be done. He is very officious and blunt – quite efficient but very trying at times. I took my boys’ photos this evening. I do hope they come out.

I put my pen down in my ashtray when the air raid warning went. We put the youngest and some others in an indoor shelter and the others stayed in the hall. My previous riot act had been so successful that most of them are still asleep. (The raid is still on.)

Excerpt from correspondence today: “‘This morning I helped the escort to wash socks and towels. Talk about dirt!” “The outskirts of Liverpool are very pleasant but the inside is not so good.” One of the best letter notes to date: “Dear Mum and Dad We are staying in a very nice Hotel.”

Apparently Miss Hale alias Sylvia alias Flanagan, didn’t get on very well at the girls’ school so she has come over here to be under the direct orders of Mr. Anderson. He is working like anything now and if possible is becoming more charming. I rang up Wendy tonight but I mustn’t get sentimental about it. I must send her my finished film now in case I’m not allowed to take it on the boat.

Thursday 8^th August

We made quite a good getaway. Before break­fast most of the towels had got back to their owners. Sorting out 150 pairs of socks – most of them unmarked – was not so easy. After breakfast the escorts labelled baggage with berth numbers and took over the tickets. We then got all the baggage away. I was in charge of the departure as Anderson went over to the girls’ school. There was a lot of sorting out of clothes to be done. None of my section had got their socks. There was no mean to do. Just before they went they were all found in a pile at the back of the hall where some lazy escort had dumped them.

The buses were to arrive at 10.45 and strange to say we had all the boys lined up two min­utes after that time. We were all in the buses and clear away by five past. Everything worked very smoothly and we got to the sta­tion together with the girls at a quarter to twelve. We pulled out of Liverpool at 12 – two minutes late.

I went into the hall first thing in the morning to see how Donald Smith was feeling. He had cried himself to sleep the night before but he was very cheerful and said, “Ee I’m glad I’m going this morning and I bet I can roller skate before I come back”

It was a delightful journey. We went through Kendal and it was grand to see the fells I know so well again. We had lunch on the train – sandwiches, meat pie, cake and milk. We got to Glasgow about six.

The arrangements in Glasgow were most efficient. We were met by buses and went off to an RC Secondary School. We were given a terrific meal on our arrival which everyone enjoyed. We all had camp beds to sleep on – nice springy ones, too.

All the travelling seemed to be getting almost too much for my section. I began to realise what a very young lot I have got. Peter Burt is the smallest, aged five, but not nearly so much “all there” as Louis Warner (the son of the vicar of Epsom). Brother Burt is not much better. He wanders about vacantly and never listens to what he is told – that applies to a lot of them. Richard is a terror. He has fits of complete blankness and is very trying at times. John Ridley is just very young. I have to nurse and shepherd these little chaps everywhere. I have appointed Kenneth leader: he is very helpful but I would give a lot for two boys of 15.

After tea we found that the escorts’ luggage – which was the only luggage which had to go through the customs – had been mixed up with the children’s, so Patrick Mills and I shuffled approximately 300 cases to get it all sorted out again. We had a long escorts’ meet­ing to fix details of embarkation and then we were very ready for liquid refreshment – which we took. I had a whole classroom to myself at first, but one of the officials came in with me. We watched a glow in the sky. He explained that it was one of the blast furnaces burning up surplus gasses. The corporation (being, as he put it, a labour government) refused to buy it and so each night thousands of feet of gas were wasted. I gather that we only just got out of Liverpool in time. The Purser later told us that it was raided and bombed that night.

I finished off my section’s labels and berth cards, ration books, identity cards and birth certificates. These all had to be put into a new order – the order of embarkation. I got to bed about 12 after writing a letter or two.