By Joan Pring
safety@mo-ra.co
3 January, 2021
W
hen I recently put together a short account of my time in Devon as an evacuee I never dreamed that I would be able to write a follow-up.
I had wondered for a very long time if the house that became home to my mother and me during the latter part of WW2 still existed, hoping it did as my memories of it were such happy ones, and on and off had tried to track down an answer via the internet but to no avail. I almost gave up but a few months ago thought I’d give it one last try and suddenly there it was. My joy was indescribable, as it hadn’t been taken over for development as I thought it might. Despite being slightly extended it was instantly recognisable, situated in it’s beautiful garden that I had loved to wander as a small child.
Just a few weeks ago I received a wonderful message from the gentleman who now lives there. Incredibly, for quite a while, he had been trying to research the background of his house and had, eventually, amongst the myriad of information on Google, found my article and MORA. It was simply the house name of Yellands that connected us but to think we had been on our quests searching unbeknown to each other, simultaneously, is such a coincidence and, I think, incredible.
He and his wife are doing wonders with the garden, particularly, and have said they will send photos when their work is completed. That’s in addition to those I’ve already been so pleased to receive. We’ve also been able to exchange other bits of information about the house as well as me sharing my memories.
Love it or loath it, praise or curse it, technology in the form of the internet plays an enormous part in our lives. Not so long ago we would never have believed that we would have the ability to have revealed to us almost everything we wanted to know by just tapping into a keyboard. Certainly, without doubt for me at least, this technology of today has proved it’s worth.
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