The Rhondda Valley - Wales
We were at the house and in bed soon. The odd thing was that us two kids had to sleep together in a double bed. I’d never had to do that before, I’d always had my own bed, and well it was different. We had finished up in Wales, the Rhondda Valley, a little village up the Tonypandy. Green hills and rock strewn mountains (they were not quite), but we thought them pretty big. The hills covered in fern. One close to the house had a stream running down, the top of the hill had a small lake and dragonflies would zoom around, we caught the odd one or 2 and stuck them to our coat as a broach. It was school holidays, so there was plenty of time to explore and meet other evacuees. One time Eric and I were walking by the stream, a few girls had a tent set up and they enticed us over to them, well what went on after that was quite extraordinary. They grabbed us, pinning us to the ground and doing things that I hadn’t come across before, we managed to get away after a struggle. It was a few years later that I realised what a mistake it was to struggle to get away and miss a golden opportunity to learn a little more about life earlier.........
We had a problem. Eric and I each morning we would wake up and the bed would be wet. “It’s not me” says Eric, and I’m saying “not me”, then Mrs Bevan has the choice and picks me out to be the culprit. As far as I could remember I’d never wet the bed in my life ---.
Lots of rain in the Rhondda but we did get a few weeks fine. The holidays over and back to school, a new school, woodwork lessons, so I made the hull of a yacht, we needed to buy a few things for it but I didn’t have pocket money. It never got finished.......
I did meet up with my girlfriend from the train. We used to pass notes to each other in expressing our undying love. I met up with her after the war. She told me the family was going to live in Rhodesia, South Africa. With all the trouble that country went through in the years to come. How did she get on? No I never did find out.
School was getting boring. When I was home I didn’t have to go much. If an air raid started before school we just stayed away all day--- “Dear Mum, please can I come home I miss you lots- - -“. (Reply). “Train fare in envelope, meet you at Waterloo Station”. So Mrs Bevan you will find out who wets the bed. I learned 2 phrases of Welsh. “Past the bread and butter” and “pass the cheese”.