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Evacuees 1940 - 1942

I recently received this letter from Mr Ted Jenkins and it is with his permission that I publish this in the hope that it may rekindle many memories. Please email Val with any memories that you might have.

I was one of the evacuees of the Gravesend County School for Boys who lived in Bungay in the years 1940-42. We left Gravesend with other parties (nearly one thousand in all) on the MV "Royal Daffodil" bound for Lowestoft on the 3rd September 1939, I was almost 13 years old then.

We stayed in the Odeon Cinema for two nights then to Beccles until Jan. 1940. By then the old 18th century workhouse - Shipmeadow House - had been partly refurbished and equipped to get the School under one roof. The fear of invasion meant that we had to move out of Beccles but we were allowed to move six miles inland to Bungay instead of going to Wales or the Midland Areas since we had established a School at Shipmeadow.

I, and another boy, lived with Mr& Mrs Linder at 36 Bigod Road for almost the whole time we were there. I enjoyed life with them and they treated us like member of the family.

I and Jim Taylor joined the choir of Holy Trinity Church and were servers there with the Vicar, the Rev Lummis M.C. In 1941 we were Confirmed  at St Mary`s by the Suffragan Bishop of Dunwich.

As evacuees we were the lucky ones compared with some of the children who went from their homes in the dark days I shall always have fond memories of Bungay and the Suffolk countryside and a certain pride that I went to School in a Workhouse !!  

I kept in touch with Mr & Mrs Linder until they passed away a few years ago  

Very Best Wishes from Ted Jenkins

www.bungay-suffolk.co.uk