Life Stories and Personal Memories > Personalities and Biographies

M.E.R.G.

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castle261:
I have a feeling there will be many stories, told on here -- D.S.

Dave Smith:
Castle261. I was one of the original evacuees from Gillingham who went not all that far into the countryside, away from the Military target that the Medway Towns obviously was ( dockyard, Shorts,seaplane & airport works, R.M. barracks, R.E. barracks, HMS Pembroke, etc .). On the day before war was declared, I went with my school- Barnsole Road- to Gillingham station, boarded a train to? & ended up in Herne Bay. I knew it well as it was one of the seaside destinations for a " cheap day return" during my father's annual week holiday from the dockyard. We walked to a church hall & were selected by those who had volunteered to take evacuees. Donald O'Bray & I went to live at 8, New Street with the Duncans. Father, a "coalman"-delivering from the station yard in the lorry- Mother, part time work as a cleaner at the Main hotel, Daughter Pat, worked as a chambermaid in the main hotel,eldest son Geoff, about 10 or 11, younger son "buster" about 8. A poor family but with a heart of gold & we settled in well. School was shared with the locals, one week they went in the morning & we in the afternoon, the next week alternate. Lots of stories if anyone is interested. We were there for a year( the phoney war) before the school moved to South Wales- Bargoed. My parents said they would never see me, so an aunt took me in, living at Shepperton, Middx. until 1942 when I, & most of the S.W.contingent, returned home.

castle261:
This is an organisation that I was personally in starting. Many of you were ex - evacuee`s.


Well, I was invited to a ladies house, back in the 1990`s as she knew my brother, who was an
evacuee in the hostel, she was a nurse in South Wales. She was Elsa, later Mrs. Frank Semple,
wife / & deputy Mayor of the Mayor of Chatham. Her intention was to invite others she knew
to start M.E.R.G. ( Medway Evacuee Reunion Group ). We met at her house, ten of us, to form
the group. Later we met, at the bowling alley, where Chatham Library is now. Later we aquired
a hall in Rainham, by the `Cricketer`s ` car park. where we used to meet one Wednesday a
month. We had quite a few members for that social afternoon, people were engaged to give talks.
We organised a reunion to various places where evacuee`s were bilited, in Wales. This went on
for many a year,until Mrs Semple announced, she would not be able to run the club, any longer.
She was about 100 years old then, she would not like to run the club, any more. in HER NAME.
The club ran on, for a while longer under another chairperson. Then the old member`s began to drift away. so it was decided to close the club.  A part of Medway history gone, but not forgotten..
Maybe some member`s have relatives who were members, or parents. Some stories to tell - HERE.

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