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Wartime Evacuees |
1. Philip Herbert
Samuel Martin B.Com., A.C.I.S.
2. Audrey
Tarrant's Memoirs
3. 2010 - 70th Anniversary
of the arrival in Week St. Mary |
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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, when 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. |
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2.
MY LIFE AS AN EVACUEE IN WEEK St
MARY by Audrey Tarrant
(extract from 'Week St Mary Village -
a community at large')
Our school party left Croydon in
the very early hours on 16th June 1940,
we boarded a train not knowing where we
were going. The journey took all day,
and in hindsight the teachers who were
with us must have had a very daunting
job keeping us all amused, fed, toileted
etc. throughout the day. We finally
arrived at Bude station at about 7pm and
were walked, crocodile fashion, across
the road to a big garage which was full
of large tables with ladies waiting to
serve food to us. After this we were all
assembled and escorted onto the fleet of
buses there.
In all this time I must say I had no
fear of where I was going, I remember
being sad at leaving Mum and Dad, but
knew that it had been arranged for Mum
to come as a helper when the school was
settled in. On arrival at Week St Mary I
realised I had lost my two brothers
since leaving the train! - then I began
to worry!!!
We must have looked a very 'bedraggled
bunch' when we arrived after being on
the move all day, but we were all
gradually taken in ones and twos by our
foster parents and I went with Les &
Mary Colwill to a large house, (well I
thought it large after our little one in
Croydon). When I woke up the following
morning I couldn't believe the amount of
'country' all around.
After a few days my brothers were found,
Colin had been kept at Bude for a
medical exam and was eventually sent to
Nath & Winnie Coles in Week St Mary, and
Peter was discovered in Whitstone - he
obviously joined the wrong bus. As he
was happy there with Mr & Mrs Will
Stanbury it was agreed he should not be
moved.
We started school in the room beside the
Methodist Chapel under the direction of
Mr Martin and Miss Pratt, two classes
with two teachers in one room could not
have been easy. I think there was a
small room at the back where we went for
reading etc.
Eventually several children returned
home and the rest of us were filtered
into the main village school at the top
of the hill, where 'Pop' Martin later
took over as headmaster.
During our early days in Week, I
remember most of us caught Impetigo
which of course, being infectious, we
were all treated with a medication which
turned all our spotty faces, arms and
legs mauve. I'm sure this did nothing
for the local residents trying to endear
themselves to this 'bedraggled lot'.
However everything turned out well in
the end, because my memories of life in
the village and being accepted by the
villagers will stay with me for the rest
of my life, and in spite of the war I
look back at my time spent in Week St
Mary as some of the happiest days of my
life. We had some very good times
especially trying to do a bit of drama
in Audrey & Sheila Jones' father's barn,
(Cawsey). This was behind Orchards shop
on Week Hill.
Our meeting place always seemed to be by
the pump in the square, we would sit on
the trough and talk for ages and plan
what we could do or talk about tomorrow.
Some of us would go after school to the
Blacksmith's Forge and help Ned Masters
with the bellows. It was fascinating
watching him shape the iron into a shoe
and then burn it onto the horse - we
learnt a lot there! The forge at this
time was between the market place and
Ivy Cottage, where George and Edna
Masters lived, down a rough little lane.
Photos on the website seem to indicate
it as being in the square now.
Another meeting place was at 4pm every
day when the incoming post arrived at
the Post Office, which was then opposite
the Chapel in Mr & Mrs Sandercock's
house. After a quick sort, Mrs
Sandercock would come out and call out
the names for us 'regulars' there and we
would take it away. There was always a
lot of chat as it was a mixed crowd of
eager youngster as well as some of the
older folk expecting the letters etc. If
anyone was lucky enough to get a parcel
- well there was no holding them!
As I was later billeted at The
Temperance Hotel with Mr & Mrs Ned
Masters and their daughter Christine
(later Mrs Den Treleven). I probably had
more contact than most with the
schoolteacher Miss Retallack who also
lived there. I regarded her as much of a
'demon' as the rest in school, but
indoors she did seem to relax and she
was always more friendly. I remember her
helping me if my knitting went wrong (as
it often did) and she always used very
long needles and tucked them under her
arms when knitting - which seemed very
strange to me with my short 'learners'
needles.
The Temperance was quite the hub of the
village with people, farmers and market
personnel being constant visitors, and
with a view from the window onto the
square, we were aware of all the 'goings
on.' On Market Days the hotel almost
exploded with the comings and goings of
the farmers and others visiting the
Auctioneer who used the small sitting
room as their office for the day. Most
of the farmers and auctioneers had the
lunch cooked by Mrs Masters This was
always a roast meal and because of all
this catering, extra rations were
available. Compared with a lot of others
during the war, I consider we fared very
well there, and I think most villagers
did by helping one another with
foodstuffs that were in short supply. I
seem to remember we had jam and cream at
most meals, and meat nearly every
day!!!!
As I have said, my childhood in Week St
Mary was a very happy time, and when my
mother gave birth to my sister in 19411
thought life was wonderful. We all
integrated so well with the local
children (as any villagers who are
70/80years 'young' and were in the
village during the war will readily
agree.) It was very strange, on looking
back, how we all settled so well, but
this must be credited to the villagers
who made us all so welcome, and treated
us as extended families, not just 'VACS'
My heartfelt thanks go to one and all in
Week St Mary for making my wartime
experiences so easy and pleasurable to
remember. They will remain my GOOD &
HAPPY YEARS. |
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3.
16th JUNE 2010
will mark the 70th Anniversary of the
influx of evacuees to Week St Mary.
I remember the day very well. About 30
of us children, aged between 5 and 11,
with 4 teachers, had travelled, by
train, all day from Croydon and had
arrived in Week St Mary in the early
evening after being “fed and watered” at
Cann Medland’s Garage which was then
opposite Bude railway station
(regrettably no longer there either!) It
was a very daunting experience for us
children, standing in the school room
waiting to be picked out by the local
couples who, I believe, had been forced
to give us a home for the duration of
the war. These foster parents must have
been very apprehensive at the sight of
us, looking a very “bedraggled lot”
after travelling all day!!
I was eventually taken by Les and Mary
Colwill, with another girl named Eileen,
to their home on Lower Square. I was
there for about 3 months, when Mary
became ill and I was transferred to the
Temperance Hotel which was then in the
Square beside the cattle market. My
memories of Week St Mary are of a
countryside I had never known before,
and of being so close to all animals,
especially on market days. I cannot
remember feeling homesick, and can only
think this must have been due to the way
all the villagers welcomed us into their
homes (and I am happy to say still do,
as on my recent visits.)
The one regret I have is that I have
lost contact with all of the other
evacuees in Croydon (apart from my
brother Colin who now lives near
Blackpool and my friend Molly (nee
Tarvin) who now lives in Dorset). Who
knows though, maybe someone will read
this on the web page, and recognise
themselves!! |
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Sunday 20th June 2010
A small congregation attended Evensong
at St. Mary's Church to mark the 70th
anniversary of the arrival of evacuees
from the London area to Week St. Mary.
Audrey Tarrant is one of the few
evacuees remaining and is a frequent
visitor to the village and a contributor
to both this web site and my book on
Week St. Mary Village.
Audrey, accompanied by her daughter,
Jill, were made welcome by those present
and thanks was made by Rev Rob for their
donation of the flowers (opposite) to
mark the anniversary.
During the service Rev Rob played a
brief recording of an air-raid siren
followed by a speech from Winston
Churchill which helped to create the
right atmosphere of the occasion.
He made several references to the
evacuees in his sermon, highlighting the
way the villagers pulled together in
that time of need for the good of young
strangers suddenly thrust into their
midst.
I (David Martin), grandson of Mr Martin
who brought the children to the village
in 1940 and who became headmaster of the
County Primary School until his death in
1953, put together a small display of
appropriate pictures showing the arrival
of the evacuees and a few wartime
pictures.
Audrey was made so welcome by those
present and over a cup of tea and
biscuits she was soon engaged in chat
about her time in the village.
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