Connie Ross and her twin brother Jessie are just ten when
their little house in Bermondsey, south-east London, is
shaken. As their father Ted is a docker, moving goods
around warehouses, he has seen the government stockpiling
for war. 1939 means that life will never be the same again.
Along with their aunt Peggy, a teacher who is heavily
pregnant, the children are to be evacuated. The docklands
will be prime targets for bombing.
THE EVACUEE CHRISTMAS sets the scene with bustling family
life in Bermondsey, looking at the women's point of view.
Barbara, the twins' mother, is determined to send them away
with good warm clothes, and they'll need a suitcase each as
they might be separated. School goes on as normal, though
the children can't concentrate. Everything is specified by
the government, from clothing and eating utensils to
marking clothes with names, and the family only has a few
days' notice.
Harrogate in Yorkshire is the destination for the woebegone
evacuees, and older children are picked first by the locals
as they will be more help with farming or housework.
Eventually the twins and aunt get a billet with the rector
and his wife. The Braithwaites are comparatively well off
and even have a telephone. Christmas here won't be anything
like home, but as the weeks pass, the Londoners must adapt
and make the best of it.
I enjoyed the lively scenes and the many contrasts. The
children find apple trees and chickens, unlike the grimy
streets of home, but sanitation is basic. Kindnesses abound
as the British pull together in the face of oncoming war.
Many adults recall the Great War, and realistically know
that a lengthy time may pass before peace returns. On the
face of it though, they want to keep positive. A typical
note is a sing-song. Not all goes well, as must be
expected, while the Londoners are taken aback by the depth
of the northerly snow. I found plenty for anyone who likes
a nostalgic look at Christmas without pretence that
everything was better in those days; wrap up well as you'll
feel the cold seeping out from the pages.
Katie King, who lives in Kent, has written a good-hearted
story of times past, a nice stocking filler which can be
read again and again. THE EVACUEE CHRISTMAS will keep you
company and tell you details you didn't know, with a well-
researched tale of people intent on not making a drama out
of a crisis.
A heart-warming story of friendship and family
during the first Christmas of World War Two.
Autumn 1939 and London prepares to evacuate its young. In No
5 Jubilee Street, Bermondsey, ten-year-old Connie is
determined to show her parents that she’s a brave girl and
can look after her twin brother, Jessie. She won’t cry, not
while anyone’s watching.
In the crisp Yorkshire Dales, Connie and Jessie are billeted
to a rambling vicarage. Kindly but chaotic, Reverend
Braithwaite is determined to keep his London charges on the
straight and narrow, but the twins soon find adventures of
their own. As autumn turns to winter, Connie’s dearest wish
is that war will end and they will be home for Christmas.
But this Christmas Eve there will be an unexpected arrival…
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