PETERBOROUGH couple Tom and Janet Turner have been taking a trip down memory lane - quite literally! Their journey has taken them via the leafy lanes of Catbrook to Homeforge House in Monmouth for an emotional reunion with a long lost friend. Tom was just a baby when he first met Greta Brute (Greta Swain as she was then); he, his mum Amy and six year old brother Herbert had been evacuated from war torn London to Greta's home at Ninewells Cottage in Catbrook. A friendship was forged between the two families which resulted in Tom and his mum returning for several holidays with Greta after the war was over. As the years rolled by, the families gradually lost touch - but when Tom and Janet's granddaughter, Katie was researching a school project on evacuees, the memories came flooding back. Tom and Janet decided to see if they could track Greta down. Driving through Catbrook last September, Tom instantly recognised the lane leading to Ninewells and was thrilled to discover that the cottage was still there, looking more or less the same - at least on the outside. "The roof had been highered a bit but the inside had changed completely, for one thing it had running water!" said Tom. "We used to have to fetch water from the well and when the well dried up we had to walk down the lane to a muddy stream and shift the cows out of way!" "We had a tin bath in front of the fire - it's terrible when you're the youngest, you're the last in and come out grubbier than when you went in! "But Greta always made us very welcome - we were treated as one of the family." Jackie Partington, the present owner of Ninewells Cottage, was intrigued when she heard Tom's story and was determined to help them trace Greta. "I asked all around the village and luckily an elderly gentleman called Mark Watkins remembered her - he had actually been talking to her a few days earlier." Mr Watkins phoned Greta, and a reunion was arranged for Tuesday morning. Greta, who is now in her 80s, said: "It was wonderful to see Tom after so many years. "I remember it was a very wet night when they came and I thought whatever will they think walking through fields in the dark after living in London; I remember I had made them a rabbit stew!" "It was a wonderful place for a child with all that open space to run free in, " recalled Tom; "It was a case of from Catford to Catbrook! "It's great to see Greta after so many years - she hasn't changed a bit," Tom added. Promising not to leave it so long before they come to Monmouth again, Tom and Janet will travel home not only with memories of meeting Greta but also of the warm welcome they received from Jackie who put them up at Ninewells Cottage during their stay. "It was so kind of Jackie to take the trouble to find me," Greta added. A happy reunion: Greta pictured with Tom and Janet, Greta's grandson Terry Cleaves and Jackie Partington.
