At the beginning of World War II

The British Government decided to evacuate the children from the cities to safer places in the countryside, and also overseas to other countries. Really where could be safer in the country? The logic behind the plan was that IF, Hitler succeeded in occupying Great Britain, the children could return someday and take their country back. This is the story of my brother, age 4, and myself, age 9, who were evacuated September 9th, 1939, to America.

Family and Travel Details

My brother's mother, who was my step-mother, accompanied us to elderly relatives that lived in New York State. Then, for reasons known only to herself, at that time, she decided to travel back across the U-boat infested waters of the Atlantic to England. Different homes were found eventually for us, which was a miracle, as there were at least 2,664 Children’s Overseas Reception Board (CORB) children to find homes for.

Host Families and Journey

The Kodak Company’s families in New York opened their homes to these British evacuees, primarily for the children of the Kodak Company in Great Britain; however, they ended up taking a lot of the other children. As we had been sent privately on the S.S. Scythia, we were not included in that number. We also were returned May 8th, 1944, one month before D-Day, on a Neutral Portuguese ship to Lisbon.

Return and War Experiences

The war did not end until May 8th, 1945, so we were back in England in time for the newest German weapon, the Vengeance Weapon I, or Doodlebug, or Buzz-bomb. This is our wartime story of our adventures, mostly mine, told 73 years later with the memories, some good and some bad, as you will see when you read the book. Thank you for your interest. It is still fascinating to me today.