IT’S 60 years since Carl Orlin left Britain for a new life in America. Now 87, he wants to show three generations of his family what happened to him in the Second World War.

Carl was 11 on September 3, 1939, when the war began and as part of a pre-planned Government programme was evacuated, along with a full steam train load of similar-aged children, from his home in Manchester to Darwen.

He remembers arriving in Darwen about lunchtime and being grouped on to waiting buses.

He said: “Accompanied by a local volunteer, we then proceeded along the road in a similar vein to a postman’s round, with the bus stopping every so often to drop us off at prearranged private homes.

“The householders had previously agreed that, in the case of war, each was willing to take in one or more children from the major cities that were likely to be bombed.

“It was part of a major plan to keep children safe in rural homes.

“I recall a luggage label with my wartime identity ID, which read NUFH 149 4, around my neck and the bus pulling up at about every second house and, like the mail, it delivered kids along the streets.

“I was dropped in the Chapels area, though I can’t remember the name of the street; the family I stayed with was named Rodgers.”

Carl remembers the evacuation making headlines in the local paper and there were pictures of the young evacuees, including a wavy-haired Carl, with a luggage ‘If lost’ address label tied to his coat.

He said: “I would love to have copies of the stories that day. Today I am an ageing grandfather and would like to satisfy three generations over here when they ask: “What did you do during that war, grandpa?”

Although he was 11 when the war began, Carl was ready for Army service by the time it ended six years later.

In fact, it was also the war which led him to move to America in 1953 as his sister had married a GI in 1944.

n The Northern Daily Telegraph’s story of September 1, 1939, told of history being made as, shortly after 11am, special train C145 from Manchester brought in the first draft of evacuees to Blackburn station and on to the platform poured 393 children and 69 attendant adults.

The children, carrying haversacks and gas masks in boxes, were soon grouped for their different districts - it was a case of ‘greens here’ and ‘reds in that corner’.

Then it was into the street and to the Queen’s Hall, under the gaze if hundreds of sympathetic onlookers.

Handed paper carrier bags containing their rations of canned meat, milk, biscuits and chocolate, they were despatched around the area with only a few minutes to spare before a second train arrived, bringing another 394 children and adults.

Three trains brought more than 2,000 children to Darwen, and Atlas Road, School Street and Railway Road were closed as they were welcomed and escorted to the Industrial and Co-operative Halls for medicals.

Nearly 100 drivers had volunteered to take the children to their new homes and three buses were also used.

Burnley also welcomed around 550 children from Bradford on hat first day of September, when they pulled in to Manchester Road station, to be billeted in villages in the area. Ready to greet them were the Women’s Voluntary Service, Boy Scouts and ambulance officers.

After being marshalled in the station the children were marched to Springhill mill, where they had a meal and received two days’ rations.

Then, special buses took them to villages where they were met by billeting officers, who introduced them to families.

Clayton-le-Moors welcomed 1,600 evacuees, Clitheroe 4,000 and children who formed the first arrivals of 4,000 allocated to Haslingden cheered as their train pulled into the station.