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Don McDouall was evacuated from London during World War II when he was five years old. He was sent to the small country village of East Hanney to live with Grans and Grampy at a house called Tamarisk. He now lives in Australia.
By now most London evacuee kids had returned to their families and homes in London. So there were a lot less kids for me to play with. At school the American red cross gave us Milk Chocolate powder. We were instructed to take a jam jar to school and the teacher filled it with chocolate powder that you licked all the way home.
Or you received this 'lump' chocolate that was so hard, all you could do with it was scrape it with your teeth. Grans was none to pleased with all the teeth marks adorning what I managed to get home with.
My most embarrassing moment was when I received a parcel from the American Red Cross. It contained two pairs of knickerbockers, how absolutely mortifying! I was made to wear a pair of these terrible trousers to school. Well was I so upset and everyone laughed! I had at least two fights, then hid myself.
Next day I just refused to wear them. Knickerbockers were worn by schoolboys in America, up to about 1930. They were worn with long socks. I didn't have any long socks so you can imagine what I looked like. I got a few belts and was told many times what an ungrateful wretch I was but never again wore those Knickerbockers.
I started to spend many a summers evening mucking about with the two local kids Trevor and Hazel Herman. Trevor and Hazel were not quite like most village kids. For starters they were never allowed out to play after school and were rarely seen on weekends. Their father worked for one of the local bakers who also sold coal.
The coal was delivered to customers in very thick coal sacks. Mr Herman always wore this heavy looking sleeveless leather jerkin as he had to carry the customers coal from the cart at the roadside to the coal shed on his back.
Each bag weighed one hundred weight. The coal was conveyed around the village on a horse and wagon. The coalman's horse knew all the customers on its route round East Hanney and only stopped at certain houses.
One of my many menial tasks was gathering up the horse manure off the roadway for Grampy's garden. I would use a coal shovel and bucket. All this taking place to the amusement of the village children and was usually accompanied by the jeers.
Trevor and Hazel Herman's father owned three or four milking cows. The Herman's only had one small field that was dotted with ancient apple trees so in the summertime the cows were grazed on the sides of the road. Trevor and his sister Hazel were the cow-herders and I use to go with them.
It was about this time in his life, that I learnt to ride a bike. Carol and Mildred Shorter were sisters that lived in one of the council houses opposite the school. Carol was somehow persuaded to teach me how to ride her bike. So I got on it and Carol held me and the bike up.
A little while later I was getting the hang of the pedals and learning how to steer when I got rather cocky pedalling and steering all on my own. Carol was just holding the back of the seat or so I thought!
I was getting very proud of myself and was talking away to Carol but there was no answer! Then I looked behind me and Carol is way back down the road. So of course I panic, I don't know how to stop and I went straight into the pond!
Later Grampy put some wooden blocks on the pedals of an old bike of his so I could reach the pedals and ride it. When I learnt to ride the bike Grampy was just as proud as I was.
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