| John
Miles kindly sent us a scan of the above letter. This message was
sent out by Queen Elizabeth (wife of King George VI, and mother
of our queen) to thank those who had taken in evacuees during World
War II. In this case the recipient was Evelyn Miles, John's father's
aunty.
Children,
sometimes accompanied by their mothers, were moved from the South
East corner of England to South Wales to escape the heavy bombing
and shelling their home area was experiencing.
For several
years Caerleon became home for pupils and staff from Dover County
School for Girls. Lessons took place in locations all over Caerleon
and the girls were marched in crocodile formation from one place
to the other.
The Headmistress
and deputy were billeted in the Priory Lodge, and all school activities
were organised from there.
No bombs
fell on Caerleon, but one of the teachers was tragically killed
in an accident. Miss Rusbridge, a popular teacher and captain
of the school's Girl Guides company, was struck by a lorry in
the High Street near the Priory and died from her injuries. It
was as a direct result of this accident that the one-way traffic
system was introduced. These must
have been hard times for the evacuees and their families and the
people from Caerleon who made room in their houses for strangers.
The book Children Into Exile, by Peter Hayward, contains
the reminiscences of many of the people who lived through these
days. (Published by Buckland Publications Ltd, 1997. ISBN 07212
0970 X.) Newport Libraries have a copy. You might also like to
read Nothing Here Belongs To You, by Elizabeth Blythe who
was evacuated to Caerleon. (Published by Isca Biographies, 2000.
ISBN 0-9538162-1-4.) Newport Reference Library has a copy. |
