I was in The Sunshine Six, a dance troupe of local girls. We used to go and put on entertainments for the troops at Savoy and Norton.
One night I remember when we were dancing, I kicked and my shoe came off, and it landed in the Colonel’s lap. He came and presented it to me afterwards. Annette Haynes nee Holloway b 1929
Author Archives: Jill Cowley
Phil Kelsey: WWII 1940s
I was called up in1940. I had instructions to go to Newport Station and wait there. I went there and was met by Army people and they said they were waiting for trains to come from other parts of the Island, could we come back in an hour. There was one or two of us there and we went off and had a drink. When we come back they had a lorry there and loaded us in, and where do you think they brought us to – Golden Hill!
I was in the Hampshire Regiment. I was in for just about six years, I travelled about all over the place. I didn’t go overseas until just after D Day.
A few days after D Day we went to Southampton and were transported across to Normandy. We went to where the British went ashore near Caen and it wasn’t long before we were moved up to where the battles were, to Hill 112. It was said whoever had charge of Hill 112 was in charge of Normandy. We had a battering there, constant shelling at night. When we went there I had a section of 6; when we came away there was four of us. We spent some time there defending that, several night skirmishes, attached to the 43rd division. We then went to a place called Montpinchon. Going up one side a Mortar Shell landed. Next thing I knew I was picking myself out of the ditch on the other side of the road. I staggered around for a bit and then a medical car picked me up and that was the end of the fighting for me, I still have shrapnel in my chest. I was treated for several weeks and then at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, it was decided not to operate to remove the shrapnel.
I went to Chester, a big place for a lot of wounded who were getting better. I managed to get away to a couple of football matches while I was there and then moved down to Colchester where we took out German Prisoners to work on farms. That was a very boring sort of a turn out, just walking out with them and then taking them back. Next place was just outside Worksop, where I was instructor for small arms firing until I was demobbed.
While there I was able to get around. I went to a game of football at Bramall Lane,’’ even managed to get to a cricket match. Phil Kelsey b 1920
Blanche Kennard: WWII, D Day 1944
We used to go to dances at HMS Manatee in the Drill Hall, hoping to meet a sailor. One night a soldier said to me,
‘Come out with me tomorrow and I’ll take you to the Pictures. If I don’t turn up, you’ll know why.’
There were lots and lots of little boats outside the Pier – you could have walked across them. The next day they were all gone – it was D Day 1944. So many people were lost, so many people died. Blanche Kennard nee Dore b 1922
Carol Corbett:WWII Bun Cotton 1930s, 1940s
My Dad, ‘Bun’ Cotton was called up before the war to do Military training, in the Militia, July 15th 1939. When war broke outhe was transferred to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry and sent to France with the B.E.F. Although his section was abandoned in the retreat and had one member suffering from shell shock,, they made their way back to Dunkirk and were evacuated. Eventually, because of his technical plumbing skills, he was transferredto the Royal Artillery as a Gunsight Fitter and served with the Army in Africa, and up through Italy. He was demobbed in January 1946.
Bun enlisting : photo Carol Corbett
b 1946
Pat Burt: WWII, incendiary bombs 1940s
Yarmouth Common : postcard from Steve Holden
I remember running along the Common once and seeing incendiary bombs being dropped, scared stiff I was. I think I was coming back from Bays Corner on the Thorley turning. I’d been visiting Mrs Bay. She had this little cottage and an invalid daughter called Janey who was in bed upstairs all the time. I used to go out there with messages and take things and see little Janey who had a very pale face and was just in bed, I don’t know why. Pat Burt nee Adams b 1929
Ron Wallis: WWII dogfights and planes 1940s
Whilst we were living at Lower Hamstead, there were two things regarding aircraft that stick in my mind. One was watching a dogfight overhead and seeing two aircraft come out of that dogfight.
There was apparently a squadron of Hurricanes intercepted two squadrons of German J38s and ME109s and one Hurricane got shot down in flames and landed at the top of Cranmore. That would have been Battle of Britain time I suppose, 1941.The pilot bailed out and landed at Thorness successfully. He was burnt but he was OK. There was a 109 I think also came down, but I think out in the Solent some place.
And the other thing concerning aircraft was when I was “helping” as a six year old, mother and an auntie, harvesting potatoes in one particular field. There was a sudden roar and I remember mother shouting: ‘Lay down! Lay down!’ And it was a German, it was a Henkel 111 I think. I can remember it had a glazed nose, came in at tree top level, came in off the Solent, and I can remember seeing the pilot in the cockpit as he went past. I just stood and watched it and it roared over the trees only a matter of 200’ high at the most, then it went out towards the Channel and hopefully home, I suppose. He’d done his worst and he was off home as soon as he could make it. But that was very loud and I can remember seeing the pilot in the glazed cockpit; it just sticks in my mind. You could see the silhouette of the pilot. Mother thought the end was nigh.
Nick Chandler, Serena Dias de Deus: WWII school 1940s
The war was on when I started school, and if the siren went off to signal an air raid we had to pick up a small mat which was on a hook at the side of our infant school tables and then form a line, and quietly file out to the air raid shelter in the boys playground, where we sat and sang songs like “One man went to Mow”. Serena Hunt b 1939
There was a great big air raid shelter in the boys playground next to the houses, by the school garden, that ran from the toilet block, right the way down to the wall. It was a huge air raid shelter. You used to go to school with your gas mask, and on the edge of your desk there was a little tiny mat hanging there. The siren went, you grabbed your gas mask and mat and marched across to the shelter. Nick Chandler b 1937
Pat Burt, Annette Haynes: WWII food 1940s
We had our groceries delivered from Higginbothams 2 doors away. I used to write the order in the book every week – sugar, butter, marg, lard, tea, bacon, cheese because they were the things that were rationed. We were only allowed so much of those. That was my job to write the order. Pat Burt nee Adams b1929
We didn’t do too badly on it though. We were all right because we had the Naafi manager with us during the war. The Naafi was in the Kings Head. Annette Haynes nee Holloway b1929
Phil Kelsey: WWII food 1940s
We managed and that was it. I think we had always been a pretty careful family. Of course Dad always had the garden going; he never wasted any bits of garden. He used to grow everything. His favourite was growing onions. He still had his little boat and eventually you could use it up the river, but first of all you couldn’t. The RASC had one of these boats anchored – just for living in – he used to go up round there and got in with them, and take them up onions and if he had any other veg. He got well in with them and eventually I think they let him go just out off the pier fishing. Phil Kelsey b 1920
Pauline Harwood : WWII, savings 1940s
War Savings plaque in Town Hall
I remember the Navy used to take their boats to Yarmouth on a courtesy call. It was good. You could go out and visit the ships, – there was one called ‘Yarmouth’. During the war if you paid to go the ship, you were paid back in savings stamps. All sorts of things you could go on, but you were paid back in savings stamps. Pauline Harwood nee Hatch b 1930
War Savings plaque for RAF