Evacuation

To Fermanagh...

Saturday

This morning was awfully hectic, I had to get up at 6 O'clock and after pestering my mother one last time with no luck and gobbling down my breakfast (bread and some jam for a treat - though I wasn't very hungry) eventually I left the house.

My mum gave me a quick excuse for a hug as I went through the door. I was left to my own devices to walk to the station. I carried only a small bag with my important belongings and my gas mask box (which I doubt I'll need in the country side) and a tag stating my name.

I met my friends at the station and the rest of the small crowd of first years going.

I felt a little excluded because everyone else's parents were crying and hugging them but Olivia and Florences' parents gave me quick hugs to make me feel better, they've always been kind to me like that.

Olivia has a little sister, Joan who is also coming but she sat in another carriage with her friends. Florence only has two much older brothers who are both at war.

Soon we departed on the train, my friends were a little tearful but I tried to comfort them as best I could.

We shared a carriage with some other girls who chatted amongst themselves and most of the people in my carriage seemed to find a letter secretly hidden somewhere in there lunchboxes or bags of belongings, but surprise-surprise, I couldn't find one.

Enclosed in my lunch tin I found sandwiches and an apple but Olivia found some boiled sweets in hers and shared them about.

After just over an hour of dozing and chatting we were informed that we had arrived at the station.

We got off  the train with stiff legs and a sizable cluster of people were waiting for us and soon our teachers were giving us away like animals at a market though with no money changing hands.

People inspected us as if we belonged to a different species to them and I would have hated to have been picked last but about half way through a woman who was strongly built but she had kind eyes read my name tag which said ROSIE in capital letters and also said my address and other information and asked me if I would like to come with her.

I replied, 'Yes, please!' and she smiled and introduced herself as June Sharpe and said that even though I was a little plump, I looked strong and would be a great help on the farm.

Oh great, I thought, child labour!