The vicar welcomed the newcomers to the parish and assured them that they’d all have a pleasant stay with their respective host families. “I trust that each and every one of you will offer your guardians the gratitude, courtesy, and obedience that they expect,” he said. Billy listened and stared at his rayon-clad knees that peeped out from his pure white dress. All the time he could feel the corset biting into him and all he could think of was home. Even with the risk of the Luftwaffe’s bombs raining down on him, he’d rather be there with his mother than here with Mrs Postlethwaite.
As the service draws to a close, the evacuees are beckoned to the altar where the priest gives each of them a Gideon’s Bible and a blessing.