Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Barker was born in Barking, Essex in 1926. She found about evacuation when the headmistress of her school held a meeting at the school. To hear Betty talking about this meeting click on the link below:

Elizabeth Barker – pre-evacuation meetings

Transcript of Elizabeth Barker’s 1st audio clip

After this meeting the family decided that it was better for Betty and her two younger sisters to be evacuated than to stay where they were, and so that night, at 3 o’clock  in the morning they all walked to Ford’s jetty and caught the Royal Sovereign steam ship toYarmouth. She remembers how she and her classmates threw their gas masks over the side into the sea. They stayed at Yarmouth, sleeping on straw beds with their teacher Miss Davis until war was declared on the Sunday. Then, they all caught a bus to Thorpe Market, Norfolk. Here they stayed with General Blake at Elderton Lodge, and they enjoyed every minute.

However, invasion was feared, and Betty was told she would be moving again to Staffordshire. So, her mum and dad came to Norfolk to fetch Betty’s youngest sister home and she and Joyce ended up in Dilhorne waiting once more to be picked. Listen to her talking about this here:

Elizabeth Barker – I know just the two

Transcript of Elizabeth Barker’s 2nd audio clip

Betty had just as nice a time in Dilhorne, and enjoyed playing with her new friends Ruth and Edith who lived up the road. Their cousin John was to become Betty’s husband. Betty moved back to Barking, when at the age of 18 John came to visit, and their courtship began. She moved to Brown Edge with John when they got married in May 1951, and she has lived in Brown Edge ever since.