Reunion hopes for a blitz family

By Heather Driscoll-Woodford
BBC Surrey

Evelyn’s daughter Pauline with evacuee Alan in 1941

For Reigate resident Evelyn Brunt, 11 November always brings back very personal war memories.

In 1941, a seven year old East End boy called Alan came to live at Evelyn's home in Surrey to escape the blitz.

At the end of the war, he returned to London and they lost contact. For more than half a century Evelyn has been trying to trace him.

Now, as she approaches her 100th birthday her family are trying one more time to reunite Evelyn's "family".

Nana turns 100 on her next birthday and it's not a card from the queen she wants - it is to see Alan Deborah Bradby, Mrs Brunt's granddaughter

Alan was just one of thousands of London children who were sent away to the relative safety of the country, in an evacuation movement known as Operation Pied Piper.

It was a traumatic time for the evacuees and their families.

People like Evelyn softened the blow by welcoming the children into their homes and treating them as their own.

This was certainly the case, in Alan's story.

Evelyn's daughter, Pauline Millen, who was six at the time, remembers "Alan's parents use to pedal down from East London on the weekend and we all used to have a grand old time."

So fond of him, did she become, that when she had a son of her own, Evelyn named him after the dark haired, well spoken evacuee boy she had cared for during the war.

After the war, Alan went back to his parents and Evelyn tried to keep in touch by sending letters to the only address she had for him.

Evelyn’s husband, daughter Pauline and Alan together at home

Sadly she never received a reply.

It may be his family moved away , meaning Alan would have never known his Surrey "mother" had tried to contact him.

But whatever the reason, Evelyn's family and the staff at Priors Mead Retirement Home in Reigate, where she now lives, are launching an appeal to re-unite her 'family'.

Anyone with information on Alan's whereabouts should please contact Nicola Grylls on 020 7953 7619.