Keep Calm and Carry On, Children

by Sharon K Mayhew

  “We have quite a walk this morning, girls. We’ll be walking all the way to Euston Station,” Mum said.

  “Is that the big train station near where Nanny is staying?” It would be nice to see her before we left. It might be our last chance to see her.

  “No, Love, Nanny is staying in the Houses of Parliament. We’ll be closer to Buckingham Palace,” Mum said.

  “Can we stop and see King George?” asked Gina.

  “I imagine the King is a bit too busy worrying about the war to entertain guests, Dear.” Mum turned her head and winked at me. I stifled a giggle. Trust Gina to think we could see the King at the drop of the hat, or ever for that matter. People from our side of London didn’t see the King…ever.

  Daddy came downstairs with his bag packed. His face was gray, and his eyes had shrunk back into his head. The dark circles under his eyes made him seem sad.

  Gina ran up to him and hugged him tight. “Let’s don’t do it, Daddy. Let’s just stay here.”

  “I wish it was that easy, Love, but we all ‘ave to do our part. My part’ll be fightin’ fer England. Ya Mum’s part’ll be working in the factory making ‘munition. An’ you two, well yer part will be goin’ to the countryside to be safe. That way yer mum and me can do our part to ‘elp save England from them Germans and not be worryin’ so much ‘bout you ‘uns.”

  Gina sniffled and said, “I’ll do my bit, but I want the war to hurry up and be finished so I can come back home.” She clung tightly to Daddy’s waist. I would’ve done the same thing, but I needed to be the stronger, braver, older sister. At least on the outside.

  “That’s what we all want, Love,” said Mum. “We have a long walk ahead of us. Everyone get your coats and your bags. Perhaps we’ll see some of your school friends on our way.”

  The sky matched my mood. It was a miserable gray day. My bag felt like a cinder block dragging me down. My feet stuck to the pavement with every step we took away from our home. I loved my room and my house. Leaving it, knowing I might never see it again made my heart ache.

  Mum carried Gina’s bag, Gina held Dolly, and Dolly wore her gas mask box around her neck. Daddy carried his bag too. He was leaving after we boarded our train. No one said anything. We just walked, listening to the thumps of all the gas masks banging against our hips.

  We passed Hyde Park. If it hadn’t been for the war, we might have stopped in to feed the ducks, but not today. We didn’t bother to look for ducks. It surprised me that some places hadn’t been damaged by bombs. Some tall buildings stood proudly along our walk. Buckingham Palace was a fine sight to see on most any day, but today people surrounded it. They were cleaning up the debris from the bombing the night before. I wondered what the King was doing. Was he helping with the cleanup? Was he having meetings about the war? Did he know or care that we were being evacuated and might never see our parents again? I hoped he cared.

  The closer we got to Euston Station the bigger the knot in my throat got. I checked my neck for swelling, but there wasn’t any. Daddy started humming, Onward Christian Soldiers Marching Off To War…It was more than I could manage. I stopped in my tracks and dropped my bag to the curb.

  “I’m very sorry, but I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go and live in the countryside with people I don’t know. I don’t want to do my part for the war effort. I want it to go back to how it used to be,” I said.

  Mum sat beside me. “None of us want this, Love, but we don’t have a choice. Think about Mister Elstone and Missus Madden, if they’d been in the countryside, they’d still be alive. Daddy and I can’t take the risk of losing you two. You must be brave. You’re the oldest. Gina looks up to you, and she will follow your lead, whatever it may be.”

  She put her arms around me and gave me a gentle squeeze.

  “You can do this. Just keep your mind focused on having a holiday. We’ll all be back together before you know it.”

  I bit my lip and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. “I’ll be brave, Mum. I won’t let you or Daddy down.”

  “’At’s my girl,” Daddy said as he swatted me on the back.

  We walked the rest of the way to Euston Station. I hadn’t been inside it before. It was an enormous building full of train tracks and people. Mum went to get our tickets and find out what platform we were to leave from. People scurried around with bags in their hands and gas masks on their shoulders.

  We found our way to platform three. Other children and mums stood waiting to get on a train too. Lots of them were crying. I was determined to not cry. I focused on the train tracks. Gina stuck Dolly under her arm and covered her ears.

  “When you get on the carriage, hurry and get a window seat, so you can wave to us,” Mum said. “You’ll be able to see the countryside all the way if you both sit by the window. Time will pass faster.”

  When the clock struck nine, the conductor shouted, “All aboard.”

  I took Gina’s hand from Mum’s. “It’s time for our not a holiday trip, Gina. Let’s give Mum and Daddy a kiss, then find a good spot on the train.” I knew Mum tried to hold herself together for us. But it was easy to see from her crossed arms, deep breaths, and flaring nostrils that she was really worried.

  My jaw felt rigid and tight. I knew a smile would be impossible.

  Gina nodded in agreement. I expected she had a lump in her throat too.

  We gave Mum and Daddy a cuddle and climbed on the train. We found seats facing each other beside a window, luckily, on the side where Mum and Daddy were standing. They held hands and waved at us. Daddy’s face struggled to make a smile. Tears streamed down Mum’s cheeks. Gina began to cry as we waved back.

  “Don’t let them see you cry, Gina. We need to look brave for them. We can have a good cry after we leave the train station.”

  Gina nodded and clutched Dolly. We waved goodbye. The whistle blew and a conductor closed the doors. The train began to slowly move. We waved harder and harder and finally our tears could not be contained. We saw Mum collapse onto the platform, and then she was gone. We were on our way to our unknown destination for an unknown amount of time to live with unknown people. Perhaps the war would end quickly, but that was wishful thinking. Hitler didn’t seem to be giving up.

  Chapter Thirteen

  September 11, 1940

  9:30 AM

  A lady in a kelly green and cream uniform walked down the aisle and handed each of us a little bag. We opened them up and had a look. They contained a little packet of nuts and sultanas and an orange. Gina stuck her finger in the orange to make a hole and then sucked the juice out. I saved mine for later. My stomach felt full of rocks.

  We were quite lucky. Our carriage had a toilet and a corridor, so it wasn’t too cramped. A boy named Sam sat beside me. He had very messy hair, his clothes were dirty, and he smelled of a burnt wood and sweat. I turned my head away from him and sniffed myself. I didn’t smell anything too awful, just the smoky smell that everyone in London had.

  “How old are you?” he asked.

  “I’m eleven and a half.”

  “Oh, that’s wizardly good! I’m almost twelve too. Perhaps we’ll get off at the same stop.”

  He seemed quite friendly.

  “We might even end up at the same school.” I tried to smile at him, still not positive I wanted to end up anywhere with him.

  “I’m not so good at school. I’d rather be outside. Me mum don’t make me go to school much, cuz she thinks it’s a waste of time.”

  “Gosh, my mum would give your mum a stern talking to if she met her.”

  Sam laughed. “How come you’re so dirty?”

  My cheeks warmed up. “I’m not dirty!”

&
nbsp; “You must be daft!” he said. “You look like you’ve been drug through a rubbish tip.”

  I looked at my clothes and realized they were filthy. I wore them in the shelter last night, and they were covered with dust. I ran my fingers through my hair and they got stuck because of the knots.

  Gina had fallen asleep with Dolly clutched in her arms. She was a right mess too. We looked as though we hadn’t bathed once in our entire lives.

  I sneared at Sam. “We aren’t any dirtier than you!”

  Sam crossed his arms and glared at me.

  We sat in silence for a long time. I leaned on the window and stared out at the villages and the countryside. I glanced at Sam here and there, trying to not let him notice. He still seemed a bit unpleasant, so I didn’t talk to him. Our carriage was made of steel and had a big window for every four seats. The seats were soft and plush. I started worrying about Gina being asleep for so long. She might have an accident. She had a lot of them since the Blitz started. I nudged her with my foot. She moaned a little and rubbed her eyes.

  “Do you need to go to the loo?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Excuse us, please,” I said very politely to Sam.

  “I will not,” Sam smirked.

  I made a fist at him. “Then I’ll just have to give you a thick ear.”

  “Well, you don’t have to get all grizzly,” he said. “I was joking with you.” He pulled his knees to the side to let us pass.

  I took Gina by the arm and led her past him. We walked down the corridor and found the loo. I opened the door, and a terrible stench greeted us, like someone, well more than someone had missed the toilet. We carefully stepped in and used it.

  When we got back to our seats, Sam was sitting in my spot.

  “Look here, Sam, you can’t go taking other people’s seats when they go to the loo. Let me have my spot back.”

  “Oh, for goodness sakes, I was just looking out the window while you were gone. Don’t be such a beast.”

  Gina and I both laughed.

  “A beast. Is that the best you can do? I’m certainly not impressed,” I said.

  Sam sneered as he slid over into his seat.

  Gina and I sat back down and gazed out the window.

  Sam wiggled around in his seat and grinned. “I say, what’s in your bag?”

  “Mum sent us something to eat on the train,” I said.

  Sam wetted his lips. “Cor, I wish my mum had sent me something. I already ate the fruit and nuts they gave us, and now I’m starving. If you share with me, I’ll buck up and be your mate for the rest of the trip.”

  “I expect the polite thing to do would be to share with you.” I frowned at him. Not quite sure if I wanted to do the polite thing.

  “You can have one of my sandwiches,” Gina said.

  She unwrapped a sandwich and passed it to him. He gulped it down as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

  “Are you still hungry?” Gina asked.

  “Yea, I’m always hungry,” he said. “Ever since the rationing started, there’s been barely enough food for our family. My uncle’s been staying with me mum and me, and he’s been sneaking some of my share.”

  “That’s horrid!” I crossed my arms in disgust. “He should be ashamed of himself. What an ogre! I read in my ration book that grown-ups should not take children’s food because they need it to grow and develop their brains.”

  “My uncle only cares about his growling stomach,” Sam said. He looked away from us. He let out a long, slow, deep breath and then shook his head.

  Gina opened her bag and handed Sam her apple. “I don’t really like apples.”

  That was a lie. Apple crumble was one of her most favorite things in the world.

  “Thanks, Mate,” Sam said.

  Seeing Gina being so kind made me beam with pride. Perhaps, I should follow her lead and be a bit friendlier to Sam.

  Sam wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked at me with earnest eyes. “What was it like in your part of London?”

  “It was terrible. Air raids every night, bombs blowing up houses, and sleeping in our shelter. Never a moment’s peace.”

  “Don’t forget the bomb on our shelter that didn’t explode,” Gina interjected.

  I closed my eyes and took a long slow breath. “Two of our neighbours were killed in bombings.” My chest felt heavy. “Could we talk about something else?” I wanted to curl up into a little ball and forget all we had seen.

  Chapter Fourteen

  September 11, 1940

  12:00 PM

  The train trapped in the heat and it felt like we were breathing in each other’s air. The loo’s stench crept out into the carriage. Some little ones were crying. Some older ones were fighting.

  “Sam, will you sit on Gina’s side instead of mine, so no one else sits by her?” I asked. “I don’t want anyone to bother her.”

  Sam nodded and slid beside Gina. He seemed to have a soft spot when it came to her but still wasn’t sure if I liked him.

  “What’s your dolly’s name?” he asked.

  “Dolly.” Gina’s eyes lit up. She loved talking about Dolly.

  Sam cocked his head to one side. “Your dolly’s name is Dolly?”

  “Yep, that’s what my Nanny called her, so that’s what I call her.”

  “She needs a bath just as much as the rest us do,” he said.

  They laughed. I had to smile.

  “Do you think everyone is getting off at the same stop?” I asked.

  “I hope not. That would be a lot of new children in one spot. But I hope we get off at the same town. It would be nice to start out with some mates,” Sam said.

  I didn’t say anything.

  A billeting officer walked through the corridor and bellowed out an announcement.

  “If your surname starts with the letters A through F, you will need to find a teacher because you’re getting off at the next stop. Once you find a teacher, she can tick off your name and document the name of the village you’ll be staying at. You need to make sure you get all of your belongings off the train because if you leave it here, it’ll be gone forever,” he said.

  I heard him walk into the next carriage and say the exact same thing. You would’ve thought if they were going to make us get off the train by our surnames, they would have made us sit in order when we got on.

  “What’s your surname, Sam?”

  “Purdy,” Sam replied.

  “Our last name is Munsey,” I said. “There’s a chance we’ll be getting off at the same station.”

  Sam nodded in agreement. “That would be brilliant.”

  Gina grinned from ear to ear.

  If Gina liked him this much, perhaps I should give him a chance.

  A group of seven children dragged their feet along the corridor.

  “Have you seen any teachers?” one scruffy boy asked.

  “They’re in the next carriage,” I replied.

  The scruffy boy grunted, and the group followed him to the next carriage.

  The train let out an enormous whistle. The wheels screeched as the steam engine pulled into a village. Gina covered her ears and hid her head in the space between her and Sam. I looked out the window.

  The train began to slow down. A big clock hung above the platform. It was one of those fancy clocks with Roman numerals instead of real numbers. It said 12:15. We had been on the train for three hours and fifteen minutes, and this was our first stop. A group of grownups gathered together on the platform. The
carriage became silent, other than the rustling of peoples’ belongings.

  Dirty and soiled children with gas masks across their shoulders, identification tags pinned to their coats, and bags or suitcases in their hands, climbed off the train. Not one child smiled. Why would they smile? They left their family and their lives to go to a strange new place in the countryside. I didn’t smile either.

  The billeting officer lined them up against the wall of the train station. People walked past, looking at them. Prodding and poking their potential evacuee. I even saw one lady make a boy show his teeth. It looked like something from a history book back when slaves were sold and bought at a market square. Surely, we wouldn’t be treated the way slaves were treated. Their owners were vile and cruel.

  A conductor closed the doors again, another whistle blew, and we were on our way.

  I crossed my fingers behind my back and said a quick prayer asking God to make sure all the evacuees found good host families.

  “I say,” said Sam, “what lovely cottages! I bet everyone who gets off here will be quite happy.”

  “Look, they have gardens to play in,” Gina said.

  “Did you see that?” I asked. “What was it? I couldn’t tell what kind of animal it was.”

  “I know what it was,” said someone from the seat behind me. “It was a bear. They have lots of bears in the countryside, and they like to eat little children. Probl’y why they’re sending all of us to the countryside…to feed the bears.”

  Gina burst into tears. I stood up and faced the brute.

  “You’re batty!” My hands shook. “We don’t have bears in England! Why would you tell little children such a horrid fib?”

  “Ent a fib, me mum told me so,” he said.

  “Then your mum told you a fib!” I felt my heart beating in my head and hands.

  “You callin’ me mum a liar?”

  “I suppose I am. If you ever read a book about animals in England, you would know the most dangerous animal we have is the badger.”