THE BIG DAY
Written by Ronald MizonPublished on January 2018
At last the big day came and the Milford Scout Troop paraded for an inspection by our Scout Master and the Minister who gave us the thumbs up
We marched out to our appointed positions followed by the Guides and Brownies and Cubs. The big moment arrived as a large car pulled up at the end of the church driveway and the three British Blitz Scouts alighted, led by their guide. Putting on their hats they walked in a single file up to our welcome avenue of Scouts and the other members of our little band. They saluted the lead flag, which was the Canadian flag, with the Scout salute then they were introduced to us by their guide. All three were not boys but stocky young men and they looked a little odd in their short trousers, whereas we were all dressed in long ones. Their shirts were festooned with various Scouting awards and looked most impressive. Our Scout Master then introduced each one of us, in turn, to them and when they came opposite me they saluted again as I was holding the flag of the United Kingdom. Then, as the Scout Master introduced me to each in turn as an English evacuee Scout living here during the war, they just shook my hand and moved on and did not utter a word to me. I was absolutely crestfallen. Really, I did think that they would have a quick word with me. I really was most dismayed. Perhaps I expected too much and as they passed down the line I noticed Annie’s face. She looked embarrassed for me but managed to give me the thumbs up as if to say “well done”. When I think of Annie now, she was perhaps about five feet eight inches tall, slim and full of vitality. Her complexion, even to me a young lad, looked outstanding. She had bright eyes and when she
was pleased, or laughed, her face lit up. She was very strict, as I said earlier – an ex-school teacher, but she was fair and understanding. As a credit to her I think now if I had lived with the Wallace’s from the start I would have done better at school whereas Uncle George let me do as I wanted, but as an older man now I know that is not always good for us. Nevertheless, Uncle George was very kind to both Bessie and I. Annie Wallace, I believe, was a good Christian woman. So, much to my consternation, it was time for school to start. Different pupils all over again!
I slotted into my new school, my FIFTH since I was first evacuated from MIDDLESBOROUGH, ENGLAND but I soon felt at home without any trouble. I had to learn and be able to recite, every evening, my new classmates’ names before Annie who would ask me after school. (I can remember a lot of them today – like Everell Gough, Burt Marr, Elfreda, Bubbles, Bridget, Arthur, Helen Turple). And I could go on. Annie’s persistence took on a new meaning to me. I felt I was growing up. It was now 1941 and the Blitz over in England was at its height. It was ghastly to think that perhaps my Mum and Dad and sisters were enduring such devastation! The Wallace’s house was situated not very many yards from the railroad track and when I first went to live with them I could hear the trains thundering by when I was in bed and I thought, “I am never going to stand this having got used to the tranquility of my bedroom in Mount Uniacke.” However, as time went by, I began to get used to their whistling and hooting as they went through Milford Station. I mentioned this to Mr. Barter, the stationmaster, and he laughed and was rather amused and said I would get to know every train soon. To reinforce what he was saying he took the trouble to make a list on paper of the train times and types. He listed the type of train matching it to the ringing and the hooting, whether it was a freight, passenger, or a special. ie military or tragically, a hospital train and sometimes a military transporting troops. He said it was important to discern the hooting of them as this was a sort of guide line to its particular type. I made a notebook of my findings.
Looking at my list and using Annie’s method of memorizing I was soon able to identify which and where each one was going pretty precisely. “AH!” I would say to myself while checking Mr. Barter’s notes, “Umm, that’s the 0750 freight eastbound, then one the other way was the early passenger westbound” and so on. I would use my Big Ben pocket watch that I purchased in Uniacke with the pocket money Uncle George gave me weekly, to check the times. When Annie found out what I was doing she was most pleased with my enterprise.
The Wallace’s did not own a motor car. Consequently, I did not get around as much as I did whilst in Uniacke so we went by “Shanks’s Pony” (that is to say, on foot). In any case they always seemed to be very busy with the exception of Sunday when we all went to church. Of course, the Scouts paraded on Empire Day (now called Canada Day, I believe, when dedications took place and patriotic songs were sung). I don’t quite remember how long I stayed with Ernie and Annie. I had the feeling that it was only temporary but I do not remember a Christmas with them. I think now that the plan was to move Bessie and I as close as possible, ASAP. However, I integrated with the local folks quite well and I was soon a familiar figure around the village.