Ruth & Joyce
Ruth was born in 1927 in London, but moved to Langley Crescent in Becontree at an early age with her parents and older brother Tommie. Ruth’s sister Joyce was born in 1932 and they both remember happy times of freedom and feeling safe in their new community.
Following the outbreak of war in 1939, Ruth and Joyce were evacuated to Bloxham in Oxfordshire and while Joyce, aged 7, had the security of being with her older sister, it wasn’t a happy time for Ruth, aged 11, who felt a sense of responsibility for her younger sister and who, being older, was made to do a lot of manual work.
Recognising it wasn’t the best situation for his daughters, Ruth and Joyce’s Dad came to bring them home after six weeks and apart from another short evacuation to High Wycombe, the girls stayed at home with their parents and often slept in an Anderson air raid shelter at night for safety.
Eventually, their house was damaged by a Doodlebug and the family temporarily moved to Southend-on-Sea while repairs could be carried out. It was during this time that the girls’ cherished older brother Tommie, who had voluntarily signed up to the Royal Navy, lost his life at sea and Ruth and Joyce’s parents decided to spare the family from any additional pain of past memories so they didn’t move back but remained in Southend.
Please note: This interview refers to war-time incidents that some listeners may find upsetting.
Being the older sister by several years, Ruth remembers feeling a strong and protective sense of responsibility to care for her sister Joyce, especially when they were evacuated together at the age of 11 and 7 to a small village in Oxfordshire.
Joyce remembers the freedom of playing in the streets of Becontree with friends and sometimes having a dinner of bread with margarine and sugar. There was also some childhood mischief and one winter, Joyce and her friends cleared the snow from someone’s path, hoping for a reward - when they didn’t get one, they decided to put the snow back on the path.
Following their move to Southend, Ruth and Joyce remember standing at the top of Pier Hill, watching enemy aircraft flying up the Thames towards London.
When Ruth and Joyce moved to Southend in 1944 there were 1,804 of these anti-tank concrete blocks along Southend seafront as part of the coastal defences and Joyce remembers jumping from one to the other. Today, just two blocks remain as a memorial to those times.
Ruth and Joyce remember their cherished older Brother Tommie, who was lost in combat during the Second World War.
Ruth at a young age
Tommie, Ruth and Joyce’s beloved older Brother
Joyce went to Cambell School from about 1937, in Langley Crescent, the same road as where they lived in a brand new Council House in Becontree, after the family had moved from London. Joyce was only at the school for a couple of years before being evacuated with her sister at the age of 7.
Ruth and Joyce were evacuated together to Oxfordshire at the ages of 11 and 7. Ruth was given strict instructions by her Mum to hold her younger sister’s hand and not let go at any cost, so that they wouldn’t get separated - It was a big responsibility for an 11 year old.
Photo: Evacuation of children in 1940 used under IWM Non Commercial Licence
