Page 76 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - Winter 20
P. 76
THE SECOND SUBJECT THAT WE labourers would be housed. We were shocked
ASKED YOU TO RELATE TO IN THIS at seeing a cottage in disrepair, with a large
ISSUE OF THE ITON WAS wooden outhouse that had no showers.
“HACHSHAROT”. THE ARTICLES THAT Having reported this back to Lily, we
WE RECEIVED FOLLOW. THANKS! assumed that the “powers that be” would be
put off, but NO… a motley group of about 40
BLYBOROUGH, LINCS, 1940 boys, aged between 15 and 17, and 2 girls,
were duly sent there.
EVELYN FREEDMAN-CHENKIN
We two girls – May Evenpaz (Gunter) and I,
the first an egghead and the second of
unsound mind, were supposed to take care of
the boys and the cottage, having absolutely
no experience in cooking or cleaning.
The cottage had not been redecorated, as was
originally promised, and was in a real mess.
We were thrown into our “Hachshara”… a
I word I had never heard of but was quickly
t was 1940… I had returned to London
after being evacuated to Biggleswade in
starting to understand. We were teaching
Bedfordshire. I made my way to
Southampton Row, which was the centre for ourselves how to be self-sufficient and ready
Habonim, K.K.L. and other Zionist for the hardships of Aliyah.
institutions, asking if there was any work for May and I did our best to feed the boys, who,
me. I was at a loose end as there was no being used to their mother’s cooking, were
formal schooling in London at that time. demanding three meals a day. We had not yet
felt the pinch of rationing. To this day, I bear
It was suggested by a lady there called Lily the scars from falling off the old bike that I
Beyrak that I might like to accompany
Menachem Shemah to Lincolnshire to meet used to deliver “meals-on-wheels” to the
the gentleman farmer who had agreed to boys in the fields.
accept a group of youth workers on his land. Our day’s cooking started at about 4 am,
The only reason I could think of for her when I lit the fire in the kitchen range (when
sending us was that being aged 17 and 18 and there was enough wood or coal) and the
thought “bourgeois”, we were bound to make primus stove (when it was not leaking
a good impression. Our mission was to report paraffin). We made porridge for breakfast,
back to London. which, more often than not, was lumpy or
burnt. The day ended with us frying chips at
When we arrived in Blyborough we were
greeted by our host and his wife and taken to midnight. Meat came by train from London,
so, by the time it reached us, it was inedible.
their mansion where we were to stay as their The boys complained… no wonder… they
guests. The next day we were shown the
accommodation where any group of
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