The War Years

September 2 1939, my youngest brother and I are being evacuated out of London, England, the war is coming and London will be bombed. Along with 300,000 children we were leaving London, to somewhere. Our parents were not allowed to even go the school where we were leaving from, they had no idea where we were going, or where we would lay our heard that night The last thing my mother said to me at the door of our tenement house,” You must keep your little brother with you, don’t let anyone separate you” . St. Pancras station we boarded trains, thousands of children, from three years old to thirteen, many had never been on a train, or even out of London, we were some of the poorest of the poor. Mum had sent sandwiches with us, we had labels on our coat, and our gas masks hung around our necks, and the back packs my dad had made, contained all our belonging. We arrived at a little railway station, mid afternoon. We had no idea where we were. Buses took us into a little village, and to a school, where we were handed carrier bags with food in them, to take to the people who were going to take us in. We sat on the village green, it was a lovely day, and there were ladies with lists in their hands, of people who would take all these dirty little children. A lady came to my brother and said, come with me little boy I have a home for you. I grabbed him by the arm and said “he’s my brother, and my mum said we have to stay together.” Another lady came and said “come with me I have a home that will take you two.” We went with her down a country road to a house, she knocked on the door, a tall thin lady in a dress and apron opened the door. “Here you are Mrs. Coleman, your two children” and that was our new home for nearly two years. They were so kind to us, Mr. and Mrs. Coleman, and their three year old twins Barbara and David. I stayed in touch with them, learned of the death of Mr. Coleman in 1948, and visited with Mrs. Coleman and David in l950 when I visited my family in London; I stayed in touch with Mrs. Coleman until she died in the l970’s. Sixty-eight years ago I joined the Royal Air Force, and served for two and a half years on a Lancaster Bomber Station as a Wireless operator. Using Morse code I sent the Bombers our, and hopefully brought them back from the raids over Germany. I came to the USA in October 1946, became a citizen in 1953, and have truly had a wonderful life. I am the last one left of my family of mum and dad and 3 siblings. Life has been very good to me. I am very active, woodworking, gardening, teach quilting, you name it, I will try it. Thank you. W. Joan Hall.