Evacuee- by Catherine Roberts (nee. Bowness)
Doreen’s sister Catherine, wrote of her experience as an Evacuee, in this poem published in 2002.
The poem meant a great deal to both of them.
It started with a letter
To all the kids at School:
We were going away to the country
Away from Liverpool
There were 8 of us in our gang,
Only four were sent away-
The youngest and the eldest
Were all allowed to stay
We all trooped down to Lime Street
To climb aboard the train,
They told us one week only
Then we’d all be home again
September nineteen thirty nine
In Wem we did arrive,
We came back home to Liverpool
May nineteen forty five
I’ve children of my own now
And selfishly I say,
No matter what is happening
I couldn’t send them away
Note: Doreen amended the last line of her copy of the poem, to say: I’d not send them away.
Bruce
9th February 2025