A VILLAGE on the Lizard came together to mark 80 years since two evacuees arrived there.

Residents of Ruan Minor got together on the green at Glebe Place for a surprise celebration last Wednesday as Sidney 'Johno' Johnson and Peggy Boyle, formerly Thompson, arrived in the village as evacuees during the Second World War on that day 80 years ago.

They both lived in Bermondsey in London and went to the same school there.

The whole school was evacuated in 1939 and they were first sent to Peace Haven near Brighton.

The government then realised they would be in the first line of fire if the Germans attacked England, so they were sent back to London and on June 17, 1940, were sent by train to Cornwall.

Each child had a label stuck to them saying who they were, a small packet of clothes and a gas mask. Most children were wearing clogs because their parents couldn’t afford shoes.

Peggy remembered being given a bottle of milk and a large arrowroot biscuit from WVS ladies on the station, probably at Exeter or Plymouth.

At Gwinear Road Station they got off the train and went into coaches lined up waiting for them.

Their coach brought them to the Village Hall in Ruan Minor.

Johno and his brother Bert were selected by Dick Exelby, a farmer at Ledra Mill. The farmers tended to choose the big boys.

Mr Tamblyn’s wife Auntie May had asked him to select two little girls. Peggy remembers her and her sister Lucy being the only two children left, so he took them home with him to Mount Pleasant, Cadgwith, where Peggy lives today.

When Lorna, Mr Exelby’s daughter, died, he moved into Little Ship Load Cottage at Cadgwith.

Johno was about 12 at this time and by himself he loaded Dick Exelby’s furniture into a horse drawn cart, drove it out of St Ruan and down New Road into Cadgwith.

As Dick Exelby was well into his 80s by this time, it was thought Johno should live with the Loader family in Maen Veor Cottage, Ruan Minor.

In September 1949 Johno moved again, this time to Hendra Farm with the Roberts family, where he worked happily for 11 years.

Johno places 17 Christmas wreaths in the church cemetery every year – and there is always one for Dick Exelby.

Peggy and Johno visited Landewednack School before lockdown, entertaining the children with tales of their life as evacuees.

Johno was awarded the MBE in 2010 for his services to the village.

Angela Aggutter welcomed everyone and led the singing with one of Johno’s favourite hymns Great Is Thy Faithfulness.

Dennis Roberts, who grew up with Johno, told everyone about Ruan Minor’s evacuees. He finished by asking his great nephews young Zac and Austin Williams to present Johno with a Cornish flag and Kate Phillips from Cadgwith to present Peggy with a Cornish button hole, saying "we had made a proper Cornishman and woman of them both".

Trelawney was sung and a clap for the NHS ended the celebration.

The village shop handed out plastic cups of bubbly.