Figure 1.-- .

As I mentioned, I was very young when I arrived in America. I did not undersand just what war was and what it was all about. My mind was elsewhere. I did not ask a lot of questions at first. As time passed I got vmore interested nd finally it became a passion. My room began to look like a war room with naps and colored pins. I followed the front as the Alloes closed in on the NAZIs. I learned a huge amount about geography. I was most interested in Europe, but as I was in America, I balso followed developments in the Pacific. My major source was the newspapers. Our parents wrote often, but they seemed most concerned to assure us that they were fine.

The Blitz

I don't recall seeing many shots of the Blitz. There were quite a few photos in the newspapers, and the weekly letters from my parents reassurred us it was 'way away from them. (Not quite true we learned on our return and saw the bomb sites.)

Early Period (1940-41)

I don't remember asking why America wasn't in the war after I arrived. There were a lot of preparation for the possibility of War. Boston ship yard was used by the British for ship repairs, and I think some of the liners were converted into troop ships there. I am not sure at what point lease lend started. {HBC note: Primeminister Churchill informed President Roosevelt that Britain was going banrupt. The President conveived of Lend Lease and Congess passed it (March 1941).] New England was not isolationist, compared to the Mid- and Far-West. There were of course a lot of German immigrants in the Mid-West. They were not pro-NAZI, but many did not want to enter the War. There was some anti British feeling from the Irish Catholic population of Boston. There was a Catholic School near our Jr. High in Swapmscott and a boy used to taunt me, but I was well guarded by my class mates.

Pearl Harbor (December 1941)

Pearl Harbour was a grate shock. I remember coming home from Sunday School, to find the family huddled around the radio. with great concern written all over their faces. I was told that the Japs had bombed Pearl Harbour. I had no idea where Pearl Harbour was. It didn't feature in my stamp collecting!

Military Activity

After Pearl Harbour there was quite a lot of Miliary Activity. We had Coast Guard foot patrols along the beaches and Navy dirigibles looking for submarines. One of the pilots lived in the next street. He would fly very low overhead and shout down to his parents or neighbours to say he would be home for lunch on Sunday, or whatever. He would turn off the engines to be heard.

Increasing Interest

Like many 10 and 11 year olds I wasn't too interested in the news, but later my bedroom looked like a war operations room. I had maps all over the wall and pins stuck in mapping out the battle lines of all the war fronts. My knowledge of World geography went up by leaps and bounds (as did most American boys at the time). I poured over the news papers to see where everything was happening. I was most interested in Europe, but as I was in America, I also followed developments in the Pacific.

Plane Spotting

Back in England, we used to holiday in the Isle of Thanet and just before Munich, our last holiday there they were enlarging what had been a civil aerodrome at Manston. It had only grass runways. Dad used to drive by so we could see the Hurricanes that were beginning to be deployed there. Most fighters we saw in the sky were Hurricanes and we git quite excited if we saw a Spitfire. We were very knowledgeable about the types of aircraft and there were posters around showing the sillhouettes of friendly and enemy aircraft. When we were in Vermont in 1943, I think it was, we volunteered and were rostered by the Civil Defense to plane spot. We used to do about four hour stints sitting in fire watch towers in the middle of nowhere reporting by phone any aircraft flying over head. We had to report direction and type of aircraft, and estimated height. We went in groups of four. We had very crude compasses, a book of silhouettes, and a land line to some H.Q somewhere. It was very boring as we seldom saw any significant numbers and then argued as what the plane was. I don't even remember having binoculars!. The authories were concerned that enemy aircraft might try and fly in over the remote parts of Maine, New Hapshire and Vermont to drop sabatours. There has been some captured in Nova Scotia and the States, but they had been inserted by U-boats. It was a fanciful idea, as there no aircraft in those days that could do a round trip from Europe. The sceme only lasted a year I think.

Military Service

Some of the older boys evacuated became eligible for military service. Grahm and I were not that old. Graham was born on April 15th 1929 and my bithday was Oct. 6th 1930 so he was 16 and I 14 going on 15. The older bpys could, and many did, although they were deferred if they were in full time education. Travelling by warship. John, the brother of Clare, whom I am photographed playing croquet on one of the Wellesley College pictures was 14 when he when he was evacuated. He was eligible, but stayed and continued his education back in UK and went to Medical School before doing his national service. I did the same. As qualified doctors were were more use to the army.