Mum was finding it very hard without Dad. Apart from the money problems, she missed Dad’s help in the home, and his company. She began to talk about returning to London. When she mentioned this to Lil, our Lil said that Dad would never have agreed to the family living in London while the air raids were still happening. Then one day Mum surprised us all by saying she was going to London to find somewhere for us to live. When Mum came back from London she said she had found us a house, and now we would be able to leave Wales. Lil was very angry when she heard this, and told Mum that she wanted to see the house before we moved. It was decided we should all go to London with Mum and Lil, and so we all set out one day to catch the train to London.
We arrived at Paddington Station, and then caught a bus to the East-End. Mum called on a few of her relatives and friends, and then as the time was getting on we made our way to the house. As soon as Lil saw the house from the outside she said: “What a dump, I hope it’s better inside.” However, inside was far worse as it was almost derelict. Lil looked at Mum and said: “You can’t live here, there’s no water, and the whole house is almost a ruin. How will you manage on your own?” Mum looked very downcast, and said it was all she could find. Lil gathered us all together, and told Mum that we were going back to Wales, and that Mum would have to find somewhere better to live if we were to stay in London. So we made our way back to the station.
It was very late by the time we arrived at Paddington Station. Lil went to find out when the next train was due, and she was told there were no more trains to Wales that night. There was nowhere for us to go and stay, and so it was decided that we would spend the night in the station.
What a sorry sight my family must have made. Poor Mum looked tired and worn out, and the black mourning clothes she wore made her look even more pale then she was. The bench she sat on was very uncomfortable, and to make matters worse the baby would not stop crying.
It was way past her feeding time and the milk Mum had brought with her had all gone, and there were no shops open to buy any. My three brothers, who at first had thought it was a big adventure to be spending a night on a railway station, changed their tune when they started to get hungry and thirsty. They were hanging around Mum, moaning that they wanted something to eat and drink. Lil told them to shut up, and said Mum had enough to worry about. Mary, Kath and I were hungry, but we did not like to say anything as we could see Mum was upset. Lil said she was going to find someone who worked on the station, and ask if there was a canteen where she could get some milk for the baby.
Lil was gone quite a while, and when she returned there was a man with her who was wearing a railway uniform. He sat down next to our Mum, and I heard him say: “Now Mother, what’s all the trouble?” Mum started to cry, and told him how we had arrived late and missed the last train. He looked at all the children clustered around Mum and said: “Are all these your kids?” When Mum said we were, he then said: “I suppose their Dad is in the forces?” Lil told him that our Dad was dead, and when he heard this he looked really shocked. He said he had to go, but would be back soon. To our surprise he returned with some more railway staff, and they had brought milk for the baby, and food and drink for the rest of us. They also handed Mum some money, saying they had all contributed to a collection for Mum. Both Mum and Lil had tears in their eyes as they thanked them for being so generous.
The night seemed to go on for ever, but at last the morning came and we were able to catch the early train back to Wales. Mum never forgot their kindness, and told many people about the night she spent on Paddington Station.
