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12 Stouffville Sun-Tribune | Thursday, November 10, 2016 | FREE Photo with Santa! the magic RetuRNs NovembeR 12 at 5pm! Community Resident recalls her childhood in war-torn England Sylvia Hasan and her sister were evacuated from London and stayed in rural homes until the end of the war Ali RAzA aliraza@yrmg.com Sylvia Hasan describes seeing London in 1945 at the end of the Second World War. "All I saw was the colour grey," the 80-year-old Stouffville resident said. "Just bombed buildings, left, right, centre, all over. There was so much bombing." Hasan was eight years old then, and she had returned to her parents' home in the eastend of London after five years apart. Born Sylvia Schevitch in 1936, she was one of six children, but only shared her childhood years with her younger sister, who was 14 months younger. At the outbreak of war on Sept. 1, 1939, the British government began Operation Pied Piper - a relocation program for civilians evacuated from urban centres. Over the course of six years, 3.5 million people were relocated within Britain, much of them children, including Hasan and her sister. As major British cities faced the impact of aerial bombardment, dense urban areas were deemed too risky for children. Hasan and her sister were separated from their parents, evacuated from London and relocated in a stately home in Cottisford, Northamptonshire. "We were very young, we have no recollection of going on that trip," Hasan said. The home, owned by air field marshall Sir Robert BrookePopham, took in children up to the age of five. After turning five, children were taken to another stately home. Since Hasan was older than her sister, the two were separated for a year. "My sister was so traumatized by my leaving, she ended up with a speech impediment because she screamed and screamed oto E Ph F RE th santa! wi ember 24! November 12­Dec Preview w Event & santa's santa s arrival! arrival E FRE eview saturday, november 12 5pm Decorate a s stocking 6 ­ 8PM Sylvia Hasan and her sister, Helen, were children during the bombing of London in the Second World War. Here they hold up a British front page news story on their evacuation together and ultimate separation and reunion. Nov 8, 2016 Steve Somerville/Metroland Pr * Event Craft!anta w ame* Picture Fr ec. 15 see store for details. E E R F tmas ooden Chris nov. 14­D y only da monday­thurs Magical tree lighting Unveiling of santa's wonderland® santa will be giving away a $25 Bass Pro shops® Gift Card to 1 lucky winner every half-hour! 5:30­7:30PM FREE Photo with santa 6­8PM FREE Craft* FREE santa stress Ball* FREE cookies and hot chocolate* *While supplies last. Styles may vary. BP163256 (905) 761-4000 Reg. Hours: Mon­Sat 9am­9pm, Sun 9am­7pm See store or visit basspro.com/vaughan for event details. 1 Bass Pro Mills Drive, Vaughan, ON L4K 5W4 yorkregion.com uReport | Reader-submitted content Submit your photos, videos, game reports and letters to: newsroom@yrmg.com out of control," Hasan said. "It was cruel. They were very kind people, but it was a rule, a bad one." After her time in Cottisford, Hasan was moved to another stately home in Mixbury. A year later, she reunited with her sister. After Mixbury, Hasan and her sister lived with a farming family in Brackley, Northamptonshire. They stayed there until the end of the war in 1945 when they were sent to London on a train. Back in London, after five years of war, Hasan and her sister reunited with their parents. She'd also reunited with her older brothers and sister. Hasan is still in touch with the farming family in Brackley that took her and her sister in. She came to Canada with her husband Aydin Hasan in 1963 and has lived in Stouffville for the last 35 years. It's a nice relief from the horrors of war brought upon her family; her Jewish father was originally from the Polish-Russian border. "He lost almost all his family in Auschwitz," Hasan said.