A Young Girl’s War

By Sheila Nelson

Imagine growing up in London during World War II and being evacuated multiple times. Your simple way of life as an eight-year-old being utterly torn apart. Missing your family and being absolutely petrified that you would never see them again. Then, returning to London, to a life of sleepless nights in the air raid shelter – would it be enough protection from the relentless bombings? Would you see the sunrise in the morning, to see the sights of blown out houses down the street? A life of strict rationing and wondering if German invasion was imminent – would England ever be the same again?  For Sheila Nelson, this was the harsh reality of life from 1939-1945.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781398416574

Sheila Nelson

Sheila was born in 1931 and she was eight years old at the outbreak of World War II. She had a long and successful career as a shorthand typist and is now living in Orpington, Greater London. She has two daughters, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. This is her first book, which she first put together in 1979 through collating personal diary entries from childhood.

Book preview

About the Author

Sheila was born in 1931 and she was eight years old at the outbreak of World War II. She had a long and successful career as a shorthand typist and is now living in Orpington, Greater London. She has two daughters, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. This is her first book, which she first put together in 1979 through collating personal diary entries from childhood.

Dedication

For my granddaughter, Simone, who encouraged me to publish this book and for my daughter, Sue, who actually made it happen.

Copyright Information ©

Sheila Nelson 2021

The right of Sheila Nelson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398416567 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398416574 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2021

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Chapter 1

September 1939 – Evacuation

I was eight years and three months old when war was declared and I was the eldest of three children. My brother, Derek, was five years old, and my sister, Patricia, was just 18 months. We lived with our parents in a densely populated area of South East London, Nunhead. Ours was a typical household at that time in that area. We lived in a terraced house which my parents had bought on mortgage, and my maternal grandparents and bachelor great-uncle lived with us too. Life had not provided anything exceptional, either good or bad, when war came in 1939. I had started school at five years old in Dulwich and I was there for about a year before we moved to Nunhead. Until the war, I had only been away from home just once with my other (paternal) grandmother, who took me on a visit to see relatives in Devon. There had been a few day trips to the Kent hop fields and, very occasionally, to the seaside – that was the extent of my travels. We had never had a family holiday and this was reflective of the era and the locality in which we lived. People who lived in the United Kingdom in the 30s were very fortunate if they did have one because there was a great deal of unemployment at that time due to the economic downturn.

That, therefore, was the background to my childhood in that summer of 1939. I had, until then, the most secure upbringing, always surrounded by my family members. My mother was one of twelve children, ten of whom were living, and all with families of their own, so the house was very rarely bereft of visitors.

There had been much talk of war long before it was actually declared. Gas masks had been issued, and great fun had been obtained in fitting them and running around with them on. My brother had a ‘Mickey Mouse’ gas mask because he was quite young, and my sister’s mask was even more elaborate. Mine was just the standard gas mask issued to older children and adults, and it was just a new toy to me. The full impact of what their purpose really was did not register with me then.

My parents had tentatively prepared me for evacuation, and I was beginning to look forward to it. However, my suitcase had been prepared for weeks and the novelty was beginning to wear a little thin; people had been discussing it for so long that I almost thought it was never going to happen.

However, we were suddenly given the news that we were to be evacuated almost immediately! My biggest regret was that my very best friend, Barbara Neale, was not going to come on this great adventure too. We were firm friends, but her mother was sending her to be evacuated independently and not with our school. However, this setback did not unsettle me for too long as many of my classmates were going and I had new clothes to take with me. I felt great excitement at what lay ahead! Before we knew what was happening, a label was pinned to our coats giving our name and school, and we were herded into the local railway station, together with suitcases and gas masks. We were put on a train bound for an unknown destination. The train was bursting with children of all ages, and we all waved furiously to our mothers who were crowded