Lyla and Maisy from Castle Primary School report on a trip by 90 Year 5 and 6 children who were evacuated to the safety of Cranmore in Somerset as part of their hands-on studies into World War II.
With eight groups of children boarding our coaches at school, we headed south on the A37, away from the outskirts of Bristol. When we arrived at the East Somerset Railway we were greeted by lovely volunteers, including Lisa Pool who coordinated the whole operation.
Lisa and her team made the trip an extraordinary experience. Firstly, we were given identity cards. They represented the jobs WW2 evacuees would have taken on to earn their ‘balance’, which enabled them to stay at their given home. The groups were led to the ticket booth/museum, where a kind member of staff explained what it was like to be in charge of the tickets. After the talk, we filled out a quiz sheet which interested us all.
Soon after, having waited patiently on the platform, we waved goodbye to Cranmore Station, climbed aboard the steam train and started our journey along the line, through the English countryside, to Mendip Vale, just like the first evacuees of 1939 had done all over England. Following the train ride, and clutching our ration cards close, we were taken back to the station, where the guard told us about his job; he even let us have a go at signalling to the front of the train before we enjoyed our lunchtime rations.
Afterwards we went on the mini railway, which gave us a clear view of the tracks. Next, a volunteer in the signal box described to us about how certain levers could control where the train goes using the points, and then how to use the safety tokens to ensure only one train was on the single track line at any time. Then we filled out a sheet with all we had learned about evacuees and their lives, before tracing, sketching and colouring in scenes from this period of the 20th century.
When the jam-packed day was over, we travelled back on the coach and reflected on our wartime experience. It was awesome!
ESR staff found the Castle children ‘sparky, resilient and good company’ and Castle can only express heartfelt thanks to the Railway’s team of committed, enthusiastic and knowledgable volunteers for making the day so memorable for everyone – children and adults alike – and bringing learning to life!