Wartime Evacuees
1. Philip Herbert Samuel Martin
B.Com., A.C.I.S.
2. Audrey Tarrant's Memoirs
1. Mr. Philip Herbert Samuel Martin
B.Com., A.C.I.S. was instrumental in bring evacuees to Week St. Mary. Mr. Martin was educated at Selhurst Grammar School,
Croydon, where he won the Royal Society of Arts Silver Medal for Precis writing at King's College, London, where he was trained for the teaching profession. He served in the first World War with the London Rifle Brigade and was badly wounded. His first professional appointment was with the Croydon Mentally Defective School, and from there he went to Sydenham Boys School,
Croydon, as assistant head master. In 1935 he became an Associate of Chartered Institute of Secretaries. |
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Mr. Martin always had the boy's outside activities very much at heart being an organising secretary of the School Journeys' Association, arranging many outings. including a visit to the Royal Agricultural Show at Windsor and the Glasgow Exhibition in 1938. Twice yearly, until the war stopped it, he took & party of boys to camp for a fortnight at
Caterham, Surrey. Weekly visits were also made to a farm near Croydon for the purpose of introducing town boys to country life. At the outbreak of the second World War, Mr. Martin was evacuated with Sydenham School to Woodingdean near Brighton and while there, he fulfilled his plan for the furthering of country knowledge by forming the first Young Farmers' Club for evacuees, and for his hard work in this sphere he was mentioned in Parliament.
In April 1940 he returned to his home only to leave again the following June for Week St Mary with a party of boys and girls. As head of the school he entered fully into all the activities of the village and figuring strongly in these were the Army Cadet Force, in which he held the rank of Captain, the Rifle Club and Observer Corps. He obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1946. Mr. Martin
was a Freemason for many years and was both an ardent railway enthusiast and historian having had articles printed in the technical magazine. For several years he was a
correspondent for the "Post and Weekly News" and up to 1951 was the Secretary of the Horticultural Show.
In an
article written by him some time after the Second World War we read the
following:
| I remember well, Sunday, September 16th 1940, for I left my home in Surrey at 7 a.m. to take charge of a party of Croydon children going on evacuation under Plan 4. The authorities had been alarmed by the drift back of children under the previous arrangements and determined to send them further
afield, but all I knew was that we should detrain at Bude. The long journey ended about 7 p.m., when several hundred tired children and teachers detrained at the station and were shepherded into Cann Medlands Garage where a real Cornish meal was provided and the children were medically examined. I remember walking down the line of buses parked at the side and reading the names of the destinations. North Cornwall was unknown to me then, but it struck me that Week St. Mary was an attractive sounding name, and I gave instructions for my kit and party to be loaded as far as possible for this place. I never regretted this decision. |
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Somewhere about 8.30
Mr. L. Maddock drove the bus up to the school where the late Mrs.
Sandercock, and her willing band of W.V.S. helpers assisted by many others
set about distributing the children around the parish. Every child had a
stamped post card on which to write its new address, and those in charge
of parties sent telegrams to Croydon giving the location of each school
party. The information was posted up outside the Town Hall and must have
relieved many anxious parents. By 1945 Croydon children were to be found
in 40 different counties.
Back in Week St. Mary the children were rapidly absorbed into the homes
which had given them shelter and most remained until they were due to
leave school or the end of evacuation in 1945. Many still visit the
village or keep in touch with their foster parents.
When the attack started in August, 1940, the wisdom of evacuating the children was more evident and there were additions to the evacuees. These continued and in 1941 parties arrived from Bristol and Plymouth, so that the School and Methodist Schoolroom were crowded with 156 children and 6 teachers.
The "fly bomb" period in 1944 brought the last party of evacuated children and mothers to the village this time from West London, but with the end of the German War most of these returned after a short stay.
Evacuation brought many problems and difficulties, but this was well worth while. It may be a sign of toughness to stick it through the raids, but no child should be forced to experience the sight and sound - and possible injuries which go with a modern air-raid. Those who returned from North Cornwall had had a period of loving care in a peaceful countryside, with the continuous education which every child needs. Naturally, they compared favourably in health and development with those who grew up among sleepless nights - and worse and interrupted schooling. The success of the movement was due in great measure to the whole-hearted help of the Cornish people who received the children and treated them as their own. 2.
Audrey Tarrant's Memoirs as an Evacuee in Week St. Mary
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Our arrival in Week St Mary on 16 June 1940, after a very long train journey to Bude and then by
buses to the village, has already been described by Mr Martin ('Pop' as we were to know him
later). Our school in Croydon was separate for boys and girls, I was only familiar with Miss Pratt
and head teacher Miss Howard. The two head teachers, Mr Edmunds was the head teacher of
the boys' section, also came with us but only stayed a few days, probably to ensure all was well
etc. They both appear in the photos taken on our first 'discovery' walk around the village.
I was billeted with a young couple, Les and Mary Colwill at New House in Lower Square, I was
very happy there and shared with a friend called Eileen. (Eileen returned to Croydon after a very
short while, I think she became homesick.) We had a bedroom with windows looking out onto
fields - something we were not familiar with - and I remember picking wild flowers in the lane
which went at the side of the house. For some reason most of us evacuees caught impetigo and I
was no exception, then a little while later I was the only child in the village to get scarlet fever! I
think all this must have been too much for poor Mary as she became 'unwell' and I was
transferred to stay at the Temperance Hotel. |
Les and Mary Colwill
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Eddie Coles and horses with
Mr Edmunds on right.
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On the first day our walk of 'discovering the village' was down a lane from lower square to
Haydah where I remember we saw a meadow by the farm which was white with ox-eye daisies.
You can imagine the wonder all this meant to us being new to the countryside. I think we
probably walked back to the village passing Waxhill and Lambley Park - (walking not being a
problem in those days!). Back in the square we were met by Eddie Coles and his two horses,
Cricket and Stella. We seemed to take turns in sitting on these, as in the photos. Later we had
another photo with Ned Masters (blacksmith) and one of the men from Sandercock's bakery with
us children and Miss Howard. |
Our group with Mr Masters (left) and Miss
Howard
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Dressing up was such fun
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During the next few days we settled into a routine of schooling in the Methodist Sunday School room. All of us being crowded into one room could not have been easy for our two teachers, Mr Martin and Miss Pratt. For our morning assembly, as there were not enough hymn books to go round, the words were written on a blackboard and I'm sure we sang the same hymn every day! - "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty" always brings memories, but I'm sure there were other hymns - maybe we knew the words of some!
A lot of photos record a concert in December but I was not part of this as at the time I was ill
with an abscess in my neck which kept me home for a while. My Mum had arrived in the next
village, Whitstone, as a teachers' helper and was able to come to Week St. Mary to help nurse
me, and to avoid placing extra work on Mrs Masters and Chris. |
Ready for a performance
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Our large snowballs together and
the start of our attempt to
build an igloo!
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I must have got better, because
in February we had a very heavy snowfall and we were able to make two very large snowballs
which several of us rolled into the corner of the square and tried to make an igloo!
Spring eventually came and we were taken to Odd Mill to see the daffodils - and of course we
picked them! - another new experience of wildlife.
Summer came and went with us all enjoying the wonders of country living, and the harvest
where I'm sure we all tried to 'help' in some way. I remember the fun we had, all piling on top of
the carts of straw and riding back to the farmyards then returning to the fields on the empty
carts and waiting for the next trip. |
We were a rather unhappy crowd walking back to the village as not only had we been reprimanded by the owner about picking his flowers,
but one girl had slipped into the river there and was soaking wet!
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Some Sundays I would attend the
church, or go to the chapel. Often we would be asked to help pump the bellows for the church organ. This seemed to be a more important job than the
blacksmith's bellows, as if the organ failed there would be no music to accompany the singing.
There were several trips to Widemouth Bay, which we all managed to enjoy, although we
seemed to be lacking swimsuits, we made do with our navy blue bloomers! (And my Mum kept
her hat on!) |
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I can only thank the people of Week St Mary for making my childhood so enjoyable. It is
something I shall always remember and am so grateful for all the hospitality we received then
and continue to receive on visits now. |
Audrey Tarrant at
David Martin's book signing
in her 'evacuees outfit'
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| Read Audrey's
article about her time spent at the Temperance
Hotel |
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