EVACUATED TO WONERSH
The following story was submitted to the People’s War site by Mr Ronald Butten who was evacuated to Wonersh during WW2.
“Arriving
on
the
village
green
of
Wonersh
in
Surrey,
my
two
younger
sisters
and
I,
along
with
nine
other
boys
and
girls,
were
dissentangled
from
a
much
larger
group
of
tearful
and
fearful
evacuees.
Shepherded
onto
the
local
bus
by
two
anxious
W.I.
members,
a
short
journey
brought
us
to
the
entrance
of
a
large
estate
called
Derryswood.
A
tiring
walk
up
a
very
long
drive
brought
us
to
a
rather
grand
old
Victorian
house.
The
girls
were
to
stay
here
and
we
boys
were
led
off
to
something
a
little
less
salubrious;
this
being
a
somewhat
dishevelled
gardeners
cottage.
While
the
girls
luxurated
in
the
big
house,
fussed
over
by
housemaids,
we
boys
endured
the
ministrations
of
a
succession
of
'homebodies'
for
most
of
whom
a
week's
stay
was
too
long
and
a
fortnight
out
of
the
question.
Nightly
pillow
fights
and
a
general
rampaging
through
the
cottage
at
all
hours
were
among
our
more
endearing
traits.
Great
fun
was
had
signalling
the
odd
airplane
that
flew
over,
by
violently
opening
and
closing
the
blackout
curtains
with
the
lights
full
on.
Our
piece
de
resistance
however
was
touching
the
nuts
of
an
old
wooden
fuse-box
in
the
bedroom
from
which
we
received
an
electric
shock.
Nothing
if
not
enterprising,
we
then
joined
hands
while
the
bravest
touched
the
live
nut,
the
consequent
shock
encouraging
our
creativity,
we
then
forced
the
weakest
member
of
our
jolly
crew
to
stand
in
the
middle
while
we
grasped
each
of
his
ears.
The
bravest
member
once
again
touched
the
dreaded
nut.
After
we
had
all
stopped
staggering
about
we
asked
him,
'what
was
it
like'
"I
saw
a
big
blue
flash"
he
cried,
his
eyes
popping.
So
beware
mothers,
boys
will be boys.”
WW2
People's
War
is
an
online
archive
of
wartime
memories
contributed
by
members
of
the
public
and
gathered
by
the
BBC.
The
archive can be found at
bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.