Leeds Mercury – Monday 04 September 1939
Great Welcome for Babies and Their Mothers
At Conisborough, the whole town was out to meet us. Girl Guides and Boy Scouts carried our cases. Nurses took charge of the babies. While we waited for the buses to draw up which were to take us for a cup of tea to the schoolroom, policemen drew up logs for the mothers to sit on, and spread out their coats. Representatives of almost every organisation in the town were doing their bit. When we got to the school there were buns and biscuits for everybody. Milk had been thoughtfully provided for the children. Helpers relieved mothers of their babies, so that the mothers could enjoy a cup of tea in peace, and afterwards have a refreshing wash. Then names were sorted out, and the party split up into different buses. “If your children are not in the same village, they’ll be in a village quite nearby. And as soon as we can we hope to arrange for all mothers to rejoin their children,” said the controlling officer. We were given bags containing tinned milk, meat, chocolate and biscuits. As our bus passed through
On the streets of Conisborough, everyone was on their doorsteps waving and smiling. It was a grand welcome. We arrived at Braithwell, and the whole village was expecting us. Milk, tea, cocoa and buns were served in the school room while the billeting officers sorted us out and found accommodation for the different families. These were taken in private cars right to the doorstep of their new homes. Some people in Braithwell are terribly disappointed because they offered their homes and the numbers coming from Leeds are not as big as were first thought, so they have nobody after all. As one little Leeds girl said to me as she tripped along by my side on her way to buy picture postcard of Braithwell to send home to Leeds, It’s like a wonderful dream come true