Evacuee Boys (20 page)

When I came home once more, our relationship was a little more commonplace than it used to be. Mum was also tired from her work and worry concerning my future. I returned to Evesham for the last time.

16
September
1941

Dear Dad,

I am happy to know that Andrew enjoyed himself with you and it is a pity that I forgot to tell you that Mr. Robbins was in Evesham as you could have looked him up. I hope you are not feeling very lonely. I have settled myself at Melksham but I AM LONGING TO SEE YOU.

There is not much news here in Melksham. Please write soon and send some money. Last week Eugene bácsi [Uncle Eugene] sent my 2/6 to spend at the fair which was at Melksham.

Please write soon as I am always happy when I get a letter from you.

Lots of love & kisses from your everloving

John

P.S. I went to pictures last night & Mrs. Robbins treated me.

23
September
1941

Dear Dad,

I want to wish you a happy Roshashono. I didn’t go to school yesterday and to-day, and I went to Broughton Gifford where the[re] was a service. I will go on Jankipur too.

Exams will start in less than 2 weeks time and I hope I will be rather high up.

Please send some money as you didn’t send any last week. I miss you very much and I am longing to see you. There is no new here so I’ll finish.

Lots of love and kisses from your everloving

John

28
September
1941

Dear Dad,

I was very pleased to get your letter last week & thank you very much for the 2/6. I am very sorry that you will have to leave the B.B.C. but still something may turn up. I am glad to hear that Andrew in now at the Chelsea Polytechnic day course. We Started our exams last week and I hope to be nearer the top than last time. I hope you are feeling well. I am but I miss you every so. I heard that we are having a weeks holyday at the end of October, can I come home?

Please write soon. I have no more news.

Wishing you a good Jankipur from your everloving John

18
October
1941

Dear Everybody,

I got your letter yesterday and I was very happy to know that Daddy has hopes of going back to the B.B.C. I am also glad that you got the blackburies. We are breaking up for our holyday on Friday 24th so I will be able to come home on the Saturday morning. Tom is treating me to the pictures to-night, and yesterday he bought me a lovely 3/6 aeroplane book. I might bring another lot of blackburies with me when I come home. I am glad Andrew is happy at school. I hope you are all O.K. Give Noni my love. I will bring home my torch and aeroplane with me so that you will be able to see them. I have joined the school library and I’ve got a very good book. I am glad you have stopped worrying about Tom.
27
Thanks a lot for the 2/6.

We have had 5 of our exam results:-

Arithmetic 65. Art 64. Book-keeping 50. Maths 55. Science 70. my average up to now being 60.8 but when I get my shorthand marks (which might be 75) it will I hope) rise.

I have no more news.

Lots of love & kisses from you everloving
John

The occasional letter I wrote to my impecunious parents had the same two themes: ‘please send money’ and, ‘why can’t I have long trousers like all the other boys in my class?’ Often, I didn’t have the money for a stamp and found that rubbing the corner of the envelope made it look like the stamp had fallen off. Clothing coupons adding to food ration books limited the nation’s consumption and though my letter always arrived, never my long trousers and rarely a shilling. I seemed to be the only boy without a bicycle, but my first paper round for W.H. Smith seriously began to enrich me, involving a mile or two’s walk before breakfast and school.

A horny teenager, the big bag of newspapers I had to lug around served well to hide the projection in the front of my shorts as I delivered my newspapers around the town. When I was promoted to ‘putting up’ the rounds for the other boys, initially from a book showing each customer’s mix of papers and magazines and later having learned it by heart, my raise to 5/- a week was like falling into Aladdin’s cave. However, with my much earlier 6 o’ clock start, I overslept a couple of times and was warned I would go back on the round if I were late one more time. Waking up to light in the window next morning, I had dressed and wolfed down a sneaked slice of bread, before I saw the clock on the kitchen mantelpiece. I had woken at 2 a.m. to a full moon!

With all that money, I was able to buy a kit and build an elastic-powered, propeller-driven scale model Hawker Hurricane – an early modelling attempt with representative balsa wood structure and doped paper covering. It looked like the real thing and I could hardly wait to get it home to London at the start of the Christmas holiday. Jumping the gun of patience, I launched it in the railway station car park and after executing a graceful circle, it crashed ignominiously onto the hard tarmac breaking its meticulously carved propeller. A long face accompanied my creation to London and it never flew again.

Existing in the lowest ranks of the RAF on 1/- a day, 21-year-old AC2 Tommy G. Williams from ‘The Camp’ outside town befriended me in the park when he found out that I was a Scout, as he had been. Like a good mentor, he helped to sort out the aftermath of my beating by the three thugs and we spent a lot of time discussing the world. He got me interested in Esperanto and our Con Kora Saluto salutation adorned each letter in our later correspondence. I had little idea as to why my parents were worried by a grown man’s interest in their little son so far away, but meeting him seemed to relieve their fears. A devout Catholic, he subsequently entered the Church and we corresponded during his years as a missionary in India.

Different boy, same bag. (Author’s collection)

19
November
1941

Dear Mum, Dad & Andrew,

I was very pleased to get your letter on Monday after a wait of 1 week & 3 days. But all the same thanks for the 3/-. I can’t see why you want me to write more seeing that I wrote twice before I got a letter from you.

I am glad you liked my poetry I hope you are all getting on all right. Has Andrew written to Mr. Borton yet? By the way, please write and answering letter to Tom.

I have still got 13 candles left from my last birthday, so if you can please try and send me a birthday-cake. Give my love to Noni and everybody. Time is flying to me and in a week I will be thirteen.

By the way am I getting a watch. I have now got 2/- in the savings. Tell Andrew that Mr. Williams & Mr. Parkin are leaving Melksham and are going back to London. Our class is collecting some money amongst ourselves to buy Mr. Williams a present and I gave 6
d
.

I have no more news so I’ll close down

Lots of love & kisses from your everloving

John

23
 
‘Oscar’ was Andrew’s nickname, given by the Scouts.

24
 
John’s familiarity with Mr Redfearn’s actual nickname.

25
 
A Scoutmaster.

26
 
Dr Cavell’s nickname.

27
 
Tom was an ex-Scout, an RAF serviceman stationed in Melksham in 1941.

6
December
1941

Dear Everybody,

I must wish Mum many happy returns on her birthday, and I hope she will be pleased with the tea-cosy which I sent her yesterday. I wish you, Mum, the best of luck health and happiness for the rest of your life which I hope will last till at least you are 126 3/19 years old. I am Okay and I am looking forward to seing you in 2 weeks. Tell Andrew I thank him very much for the line he dropped and tell him I hope he catches it. By the way how is his young lady getting on? Tell her that I thank her very much for the birthday greetings

I have no more news. I am going to pictures to-night with Tom.