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A Chalet School Evacuee
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4320
Author:  claire [ Thu Apr 10, 2008 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:  A Chalet School Evacuee
Jo Maynard walked into the Church Hall with some degree of trepidation, she knew that she had a duty to take on some evacuees but she heard so many horror stories from when inner city children had been evacuated at the start of the war that she was nervous.
‘No table manners at all, couldn’t use a knife and fork’
‘Full of fleas and nits’
‘Didn’t even have pyjamas, slept in their underpants and vests and then wore them all the following day’
‘Swore like troopers, even now my Polly calls herself ‘that bl**dy parrot’

Most of the evacuees had returned home before Jo had moved to Plas Gwyn when the expected bombs had failed to fall however now the blitz was in full swing a trainload of Eastend children had been brought to Armishire, more than a score of which ended up in Howells village.

‘I could take two, I believe, girls. Maybe you have sisters because they’d need to share a bedroom?’ Joey said to the vicar’s wife, neatly taking a step back to avoid the two tow-headed boys chasing each other around the room, whooping as they did so. Jo’s eyes fell on a pair of girls standing nearby, the elder, around the age of 13, was insisting the younger, a little older than Jo’s own triplets, pulled up her socks to look ‘nice, like Mam told you’. They looked acceptable, even if the elder girl’s cockney accent did strike a nerve, and the elder one appeared to be capable of caring for the youngster, and could probably help Anna with the triplets Jo thought and four toddlers couldn’t be much more work than three, could they? Jo turned back to Mrs Wallace to ask about the two sisters, missing the sight of the elder spitting onto her handkerchief before rubbing the remainders of a jam sandwich off of her sisters face.

Mrs Wallace called the Blacker girls towards her, introducing them to Mrs Maynard as the lady who had kindly offered to look after them for the duration, however Katy, the eldest was already shaking her head. ‘Thanks Missus, but I promised Mam I wouldn’t let anyone split us up’
‘I meant both you and your sister, dear’
‘but what about Billy and Bobby? We need to stay together.’
Jo’s eyes followed the direction Katy’s finger was pointing in. The two boys who had been running rampage when she entered had settled in the corner of the room, the elder by two years appeared to be tying up his 6 year old brother by the use of his grey jumper.
‘I’m afraid I only have two spare beds Mrs Wallace, really I can only take two’
‘That’s alright, Me and Liza share a bed at home, so do the boys. We don’t mind as long as we can stay together.’
Jo was touched by the girl’s devotion to her siblings, ‘but it’s the same bedroom, it wouldn’t be suitable’
‘We only have a curtain between us at home, me Dad rigged it up. I’m sure it would be fine.’
‘Well…..’ Jo said slowly, ‘I suppose if that’s the case…..’
Author:  Sugar [ Thu Apr 10, 2008 3:28 pm ]
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This looks interesting.
Author:  Mona [ Thu Apr 10, 2008 3:29 pm ]
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Interesting start. Thanks claire.
Author:  abbeybufo [ Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:04 pm ]
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Interesting start - looking forward to more.
Thanks claire
Author:  keren [ Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:20 pm ]
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Interesting how she will cope

And her husband wont be at home to help her either
Author:  PaulineS [ Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:31 pm ]
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Joey walked into that one. It will be interesting to see how she copes.
Author:  Lesley [ Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:30 pm ]
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Think they'll be a lot of work - especially those boys. :lol:


Thanks Claire
Author:  linda [ Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:12 pm ]
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It sounds like Joey will have some practice at looking after alarge family! :lol: :lol:

Thanks Claire
Author:  Liz K [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 5:30 am ]
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This looks interesting.
Author:  claire [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:02 am ]
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Italics are 'lifted' from highland twins

Jo and the children walked back to Plas Gwyn, Jo wondering just how she would cope with two small boys, she could deal with girls, she understood them but boys were still a mystery to her in the main.
‘Why didn’t your mother come with you?’ she asked Katy curiously, the boys were running in front, dragging their young sister with them ‘Surely Liza is under five?’
‘Oh yes, she was three last month. She couldn’t leave Dad on his own, he works on the docks though he did say he might have to join up before long if this war doesn’t end soon, but she said that if I went I could look after them. I didn’t want to go, I’m fourteen soon and should be leaving school and working then but if I’m ‘vacuated I don’t have to go back after my birthday if I don’t want to. Mam said see how the kids settle and it’s up to me.’
Jo was shocked at the idea of leaving school at 14, she knew that some people did of course but not someone who lived with her, oh no. ‘Boys, go left here’ she called in her golden voice as they approached her lovely home.

All four members of the Blacker family stood still as Jo pushed open the gate. This couldn’t be where they were going to live, could it? Katy fell in love with the place at first sight, she never thought she’d live in a house like this, it was like one in a story book. The boys eyed up the beech tree with interest, espying the pond in the meadow next door with gleaming eyes. This looked like it may be more fun than they had imagined. Little Liza just focused on the three red headed girls of her own age playing with a ball on the lawn and took off towards them, pausing as the ringing of a large cowbell could be heard. ‘Teatime’ Jo said herding her new, expanded family, into the house, luckily Anna always made too much food so hopefully an additional two children shouldn’t make much difference.

Katy appeared to strike up a casual friendship with Daisy easily enough, Daisy was nearly two years older but perfectly happy to have someone nearer her own age in the house. Normally she had one of her best friends, Gwensi Howells, to spend time with, Gwensi lived nearby but had gone to visit her aunt in the north for a week and Beth Chester didn’t live near enough to make day trips in the holidays. The next morning the pair ran down the driveway to meet the postman, the two boys were up the beechtree, ostensibly chasing Primula’s balloon but as Bobby had deliberately let go of the string while under the branches to have an excuse she was not best pleased with the rescuers.

Robin and Jo were sat on the lawn making daisy chains with the four small girls. When Daisy and Katy dropped off the letters before making off on some plan of their own Jo turned to the mail. 'Well, let’s see what we’ve got today. “Miss Robin Humphries”—here you are, Rob—“Mrs John Maynard”—“Mrs Maynard”—“Mrs J Maynard”—“Miss D Venables”—“Miss Humphries”—from Lorenz, Rob; I recognise her writing—and “Mrs Jack Maynard”—from Jean Mackenzie. Dear me! It isn’t a week since she last wrote, and I haven’t answered it yet. What can she want, I wonder?’

‘Open it and see,’ advised Robin, who was opening her own
missives. ‘This other letter is from Elizabeth Arnett. She said she’d write and let me know her results when they came.’
Joey paused with her letter half-open. ‘Has she passed?’
Robin glanced hastily through the sheet of scribbled writing. ‘Yes; credit in English, French and botany; pass in maths and Latin. Oh, well done Elizabeth! And she’s heard from Biddy, Nicole, and Myfanwy, and they’ve all passed too. Biddy and Nicole have distinction in French and Myfanwy has credit in Latin and botany. She doesn’t know about the rest. I’ll read it properly, though, and leave you to see what Mrs Mackenzie wants. Run away, girls, and get more daisies. We’ll begin another chain when I’ve read this.’

The four year olds trotted off cheerfully to gather more daisies and amuse themselves till their elders were free to attend to them again, and the other two settled down to their letters. There was silence for a brief space in the sunny garden, which Jo broke with an exclamation of, ‘Oh, my hat!’
‘What’s up?’ demanded Robin, glancing up from the lengthy screed she has received from her great chum, Lorenz Maïco.
‘Just you listen to this!’ And Jo, ruffling back to a sheet or so, read aloud, “And now, Joey, I’m going to make a demand on you. I shouldn’t do it if I didn’t know that you had plenty of room now that Frieda has a house of her own, and Simone has betaken herself and her small Thérèse to Cumberland. But I know you don’t want evacuee children if you can help it with the precious three, and you know that as soon as it’s known that you have two or three rooms to spare you’ll be landed. That’s what comes of living in a safety area, my lass! It’s a long story, and I’m going to tell it in full, for I want your sympathy. And believe me, you’ll need all the sympathy you’ve got to spare, and all the understanding too, for what I’m asking you to take on is a problem.

‘But you haven’t got the room, the Blackers are here’ Jo had intended to keep Simone’s old room as a guest room but after seeing the four children cram into two single beds, despite their assurances that they had no more room at home, Jo had moved Katy and Liza into the big double bed and left the two singles to the boys, so now was completely full.

‘I can’t take on these girls of Jean Mackenzie’s. Yet I feel that I should, she is right that I didn’t want to take on evacuees, too scared of what the triplets would pick up but…..’
‘You didn’t want evacuees, you want someone else here instead. Are you going to make us leave?’

Jo and Robin turned, with horrified looks on their faces, to see Katy standing behind them, tears in her eyes.
Author:  Mrs Redboots [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:52 am ]
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This is great, Claire, and I'm already looking forward to more! Thank you.
Author:  abbeybufo [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:17 pm ]
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Poor Katy - not a good start for her to overhear that . . .

Thanks, claire
Author:  PaulineS [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:58 pm ]
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I can not see Joey turning the Blackers away, it is going to be interesting to see how she fits in doing something for the Highland Twins as well.
Author:  Lesley [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:16 pm ]
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Katy is going to take some convincing now, isn't she?


Thanks Claire
Author:  Sugar [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:54 pm ]
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I wonder how Joey is going to get herself out of that hole! Poor Blacker kids. I hope she can find a solution of Flora and Faunas problems too.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:34 am ]
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Poor Katy to hear all that. Thanks Claire, am looking forward to more
Author:  Billie [ Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:42 pm ]
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Oh no! Poor Katy. You can't leave it here! :shock:
Author:  JustJen [ Sun Apr 13, 2008 2:33 am ]
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This looks very interesting Claire. Please update soon.
Author:  Joan the Dwarf [ Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:48 pm ]
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I'm trying to work out if there's any way at all that she could squeeze them all in...
Author:  Miss Di [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:59 am ]
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I always wondered what would have happened if Joey had taken evacuees.

Thanks Claire.
Author:  Abi [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:10 pm ]
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Oh, poor Katy. What will Joey do now? This looks really interesting.
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:09 pm ]
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Oh, dear! I wonder if Jo will try to squeeze the twins in as well?
Author:  Smile :) [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:36 pm ]
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Thanks Clare, poor Katy!

Looking forward to more.
Author:  roversgirl [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:49 pm ]
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Poor Joey and Katy - I'd like to see the Highland Twins added to their already full household ;) Thanks.
Author:  Abi [ Tue May 20, 2008 2:44 pm ]
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*raises hand timidly*

Is there going to be any more of this?
Author:  Clare [ Wed May 21, 2008 3:48 pm ]
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This really struck a chord with me - my nan was given the same order as Katy when she was evacuated with her sister and two brothers ("keep together at all costs"). My nan created merry hell when she arrived at her destination to find the boys had been taken off the train at an earlier stop. I would love to see more of this story please.
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