AN evacuee’s story about the realities of abandoning her home life to escape The Blitz provided a living history lesson for Year 6 pupils.

Mrs Evelyn Young (pictured) spoke at length about the day-to-day realities of World War 2.

She was just six years old when she started a new life in The Lake District and told of the impact of rationing that led to self-sufficient practices, such as the collection of rosehips to extract Vitamin C.

There were gasps when Mrs Young revealed she had spent most of the war period sleeping on a camp bed.

When peace finally arrived, she discovered that her family home had survived the bombing but another family was residing there. Some pupils gathered wartime memorabilia for the talk, the centrepiece of which was a foreboding gas mask brought along by Rosie Huck (pictured left with Mrs Eccles).