I was born Frederick William White in January 1926 at Eastbourne and attended Eastbourne Grammar School at the beginning of WWII. When the war came it made a great difference to youngsters as well. What a difference a year makes: France has fallen and those evacuees from London are quickly moved out; because of the bombing and the fear of invasion, the local schools quickly follow, including the evacuation of Eastbourne Boys Grammar School to Hitchin in Hertfordshire.

Now for the next two years (1940–42) a much different life – interesting, challenging, sometimes boring and missing our homes and families of course. First a myth: you settled into a happy and comfortable billet until the time came to come home; in reality, the hosts gave up, needed a rest, break or just wanted a change of evacuee, so we were often on the move. I spent time in three billets, all much different, and a brief spell in the evacuee hostel. Other boys from my school were also in the hostel as were girls, awaiting a new billet, all from the Eastbourne Girls High School, who were also sharing a local school.

We were sharing with Hitchin Boys Grammar School, so much reduced facilities and the tuition was also much changed. My class had already dropped Latin and we were learning German but now our teacher was called up and, with no replacement available, no more German lessons. We had studied Physics, Chemistry and Biology as separate subjects but now only General Science. We also lost Art and, because of some curriculum problems, we also dropped Geography but gained Technical Drawing and Metalwork.

The Cadet Force continued, which gave us an interest. I can’t remember much about sport, except for
running and swimming. I remember working in fields thinning out sugar beet plants, and I was lucky to have my bicycle with me so that I could be an Air Raid messenger and spend some nights in the ARP centre and from time to time I could cycle the five miles to Baldock to visit an uncle and aunt who lived there.

The two years were coming to an end, and we then took the Cambridge School Certificate Exams in the eight subjects we were studying. I was happy with my results, three distinctions, four credits and a pass; I have no idea what the average results were, but it shows that the school coped well.

Come the term end we now left the school, most of us returning to Eastbourne and I believe the school also returned at the end of the year. Eastbourne was then a sad place, the blackout, a lower population, rationing and occasional attacks from German Fighter Bombers, but by September I was working in the National Provincial Bank in Terminus Road. Late the next year I volunteered and joined the Navy as an Ordinary Seaman – a better choice than being called up at 18. I trained as a radar engineer in Guildford, and in 1945, sailed from Birkenhead on HMS Berry Head, a Support Vessel for the British Pacific Fleet. While en route to the Far East, VE Day was declared in mid-Atlantic, and VJ Day in mid Pacific. A great trip around the world!

After demobilisation, I returned to a banking career, finishing as the Manager of the Nat West Bank in Paignton, a town where I still live in retirement after a very interesting career.

Postscript – If there are any other Hitchin evacuees alive, Fred would be interested to hear from them; contact through the Hon Sec please.