Penarth Operatic and Dramatic Society (PODS) will be staging the wartime drama Goodnight Mister Tom, based on the book of the same name by Michelle Magorian, at the Paget Rooms later this month.

The story centres around an evacuee, William Beech and this week Sam Dacey who plays William and the other children in the cast met up with a real-life evacuee to find out what life during the war was really like for children who were moved from their homes.

Brian Gardner, a long-standing a member of PODS was evacuated along with hundreds of other children from Cardiff in 1940 at the age of five. "I was away from home for several years during the war," said Brian to the children as they asked him about his experiences as an evacuee. "I lived with a lovely family and moving to the countryside seemed like a great adventure at the time."

When the children asked Brian whether he missed his family during his time as an evacuee he told them that he went home at Christmas and Easter but that he also made lots of new friends.in the village and amongst other evacuees.

Many children who were evacuated during the Second World War have fascinating stories to tell about their time away from home.

Meeting Brian and talking to him about his experiences was like a living history lesson for the children in the Goodnight Mister Tom cast. "My character is an evacuee who is sent away during the war so it was amazing to talk to someone who had actually done this," said Sam Dacey who plays William.

The play's director Kim Herniman said "Most children today couldn't imagine being sent away from home to live in a strange place with people they had never met. We felt it was important for the children in the cast of Goodnight Mister Tom to hear what it was really like from someone who had actually been an evacuee. We're really grateful to Brian for sharing his memories with us - his recollections were fascinating and brought a tear too many an eye in the room!"

Goodnight Mister Tom is a moving and uplifting story of young William Beech who is evacuated from London to the idyllic English countryside at the outbreak of the Second World War. He is sent to live with the grumpy and reclusive Tom Oakley and his dog Sammy. William who has been emotionally and physically abused by his dysfunctional mother faces new challenges with living in a rural village.

Unexpected friendships develop as this heart-warming tale unfolds.

Goodnight Mister Tom is on at the Paget Rooms from the 18th to the 20th of March. Tickets are £13 and are available from Ticket Source or in-person from Griffin Books on Windsor Road. Or you can telephone 029 2071 2260 - Brian Gardner is also the PODS Ticket Secretary so you may get to speak to a real-life evacuee if you book by telephone.