Rushden Research Group: An evacuee

Anon, as told at Rushden Museum in 2006

An Evacuee

I was evacuated to Rushden in 1944 when I was aged 11, because they were bombing London with V2 rockets. My mother and younger sister also came and they stayed in one house in Prospect Avenue but I was at another house with a sister-in-law of John White.

Later I went to live with Annie Robinson, an ex-teacher, who was related to Robinson Brothers. I used to collect the subs for the Memorial Hospital for her.

Mr Howitt was the head teacher at the Intermediate School that I attended. When I left school I first worked at Townsends, then I went to Eady Robinson’s farm at Higham.

Later I joined up in the RAF and was stationed in London but I came back to Rushden and married a local girl. I did a variety of office jobs but then set up my own retail & repairs business.

click here for more about the evacuation scheme and the WVS