The following has been received by our contributor "Wonavus". It comes from Miss June Williams of Clive Road, West Dulwich, now evacuated to Morton in the Marsh, Gloucestershire.
The Editor welcomes news and experiences from the young people of our neighbourhood who are enjoying the quiet and novelty of rural life.
"I am an evacuee from West Dulwich, having come away at the end of September, 1940, with my mother and three younger sisters. Each week my grandmother sends me papers to read, and while looking at the Press I notice what you had said about wanting to hear from evacuees, and I thought that you might be interested to hear about us.
"We arrived here just at the end of summer, and had a few perfect weeks of sunshine. In fact we were able to pick blackberries right up till the beginning of December, the weather was so good.
"We are in one of two cottages on a large farm of 300 acres. There is plenty of amusement and noise since, including myself, there are seven children in our cottage and four next door, they being also evacuees from London.
"We have to get our milk from the farm dairy (quarter mile) and every thing has to be fetched either from the nearest village (two miles away) or the nearest town (three miles) as nobody will come so far to deliver. My three sisters have to walk two miles, which is rather hard when one has not been used to it! When in Dulwich I attended James Alleyn's Girls' School and I have got to go six miles to the nearest high school at Campden.
"All weekend we had been looking forward to attending an evacuees party and when we were told that it had been postponed because the roads were impassable owing to snow it was rather a disappointment but all the other kiddies never murmured and we were consoled by the fact that we have the party to come!
"Every night we have visits from the farm animals, including cows, bullocks sheep and the bull. I woke up one morning to find that a sow had got into the coal shed. With the help of the cowman's wife we managed to get her out and we learnt next morning that she had had ten little piglets.
"Instead of a postman we have a red mail van draw up to the door with letters from home, and oh what a rush there is to receive them.
"I hope that all this hasn't bored you but everything up here is so different from London that I thought the people of West Norwood would be interested to hear of our life here.
"Everything is so quiet that the little children forget until reminded that there is a war on except that they miss their daddy whom they only see on occasional weekends.
"I should like to thank all our friends in Dulwich and Norwood through you who have so kindly asked about us.
"I am a Girl Guide and if I should be lucky enough to have this printed I should like Miss O English of 44 Westow Street, Upper Norwood, to know that I am still a Guide even if I can't attend meetings.
"Hoping that you and your family (if any) are well."
Jonathan Brind