The first stop was Firenze (Florence) station where the nuns threw food to us on the train. My sister, my cousin and I got off the train to get a drink of water at the fountain. A man was eating a spinach sandwich. We watched him eating. We kept looking because we were so hungry. Then he asked, "Are you hungry?" We were very shy and did not answer, but we kept looking. Then he gave us a bit each. The train started to move on. We had to run to catch it. A nun gave me biscuits, which I was carrying to my mother in my skirt because I had no pockets. The train was moving on and I dropped the biscuits. I only had two left. The train took us to Travis Whine. We got the train they put us in an old picture house.
    There were a lot of refugees. They were very dirty. The men kept scratching against the wall. They had lice. Then my sister, my cousin and I went for a walk round the town. We met two nuns. They asked us who we were. We told them we were refugees. They gave us a pear and a roll each. We shared it with my mother and sister and it was our meal for the day. We stayed there for a day.
   The next day we were put on the train again. Then we went to Vicenza when we arrived there they put us into the Hospital. The nuns ran the hospital. When we arnved we were put in a big room with beds. It was the first time we saw beds for a long time. We were very hungry. I asked my mother what we would have for tea. The nun gave me a cuddle they gave us a cup of tea and a jam roll. We were put in the bed and we had a very good sleep.
   The next morning they took us to have a bath. They shaved all our hair. They put a lot of disinfectant in the water they gave us a very good bath. They gave us all new clothes. All the clothes we had on were burned. We were treated very well there. Every morning the nuns took me to mass to say our prayers. On Christmas day two girls came for us to take us to their homes for a Christmas dinner.
   On Christmas day there was supposed to be a cease-fire. All of a sudden the sky was full of American planes they started to bomb everywhere by mistake. We were just across the bridge. The bridge got bombed. The girls were crying. Then we had a good time because we had a good dinner. We had a lot of toys to play with.
   They shifted us to a new house. On 2.2.44 they put us on a truck and they took us to a small village called Agugliaro. A day after we left the place where we had been staying it was bombed and one of the nuns who I was attached to was killed. In Agugliaro, the local council gave us a house. We were five families in the one house. We shared the kitchen and dining room. We had one bedroom each per family. The priest called in the house. He was very nice. He organised the school and provided all the books.
   The next morning we went to school. We met all new people. I was very shy but eventually we got to know all the people. My mother she was expecting a baby. The priest organised the going into the hospital and baby clothes. My brother was born on the 14 March 1944. He was very skinny. Eventually he got fatter. I was looking after the baby because my mother had to work she did house work to two retired teachers. The teachers helped with our homework. To catch up with our homework and to make up the lost time, we were given lessons to help us write and read and also help us with numbers. The priest came to he house to see us about starting going to school. He provided all the books, jotters, pencils and pens so that we could start on the next day on 4 February 1944. We did not know anybody. I got myself a job to help the family. I did ironing, washing dishes and shopping and other general chores. I did two mornings a week, and went to school in the afternoon, l pm till 6 pm. Eventually I got to know everybody. They were very friendly and very helpful.