Surviving World War Two: The Bristol Evacuees

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• 1. Sad parting
• 2. Places of safety
• 3. Different cultures
• 4. Bad memories
• 5. Find out more
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Sad parting

Ray Chaffey's father kissed him goodbye and gave him his final instructions. No matter what happened he must look after his little sister and not be separated from her. Sixty years on from that emotional parting at a railway station in Bristol, Ray has been remembering the war when he was sent away as an evacuee. He was only eight years old and did not want to go. He would rather the family stayed together, even died together, than face a future with strangers.

Ray and his sister joined hundreds on the train that was taking them into the safety of the countryside. He remembers they were both wearing new Burberry raincoats. At Ilfracombe, they were taken to a hall and the locals arrived to pick which children would stay with them. 'I was hoping that a nice looking lady walking through the hall would chose us but she walked right past. Soon there were children getting up from the floor and walking off with complete strangers.'

The room steadily emptied while Ray and his sister patiently waited for someone to take them. Eventually a woman announced that she would take the little blonde girl.

'You'll have to take both of us.'

However, Ray knew his duty. I stood up and said to her: 'You'll have to take both of us.' The woman told him not to be silly. However, Ray insisted and held onto his sister for grim death. Finally the woman gave up.

Later that afternoon, a 13 year old girl picked them out and took them home to a two up two down cottage occupied by a married couple and their five children. The exhausted evacuees shared beds with the other brothers and sisters. They were safe, but far from home and far from happy.

Ray Chaffey is now 68 but the memories of those war time years are as sharp as ever. It is clear that thousands of children who were evacuated in the war are still living with the psychological consequences of a traumatic parting.

At the start of the war, Bristol had been regarded as relatively safe. However the blitz began in earnest on the night of 24 November 1940 ,when the Luftwaffe attacked targets across the city. The damage was dreadful. The enemy rained down explosives and incendiary bombs and then dumped barrels of oil onto the flames. The inferno could be seen for 40 miles, and the medieval city centre was destroyed.

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Published: 2001-09-02