Tag Archives: WWII

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

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

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

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

War Savings plaque for RAF

Mary Lord: WWII, school, rations 1940s

Mr. Burt, outside Burts Station Rd

Mr. Burt, outside Burts Station Rd

I remember having to take the gas mask to school every day, and hang it on the back of my chair.
My best friends at that time were evacuees, but we weren’t especially aware of the war, even though my dad was working in a shipyard in Cowes.
We were always hungry, we used to eat the acorns from the trees in the playground. We didn’t eat very many because they took so long to peel. We were sent out to pick blackberries, and rosehips for vitamin c to supplement the food.  It must have been along the railway line, and there were still trains, but I don’t remember any warnings or worries. The boys didn’t do much picking, just opened up the rosehips and put the seeds down people’s necks as itching powder.
I remember getting occasional packets of chocolate powder which was supposed to be for making hot chocolate, but my mother used to let me sit on the doorstep and dip my finger in the powder, the nearest we got to sweets, although later we did have a 2oz ration from Mr. Burt’s shop.  Mr Burt’s shop 
Mary Lord b 1936 

Pier Hotel: WWII, WRNS 1940s

 

During WWII, The Pier Hotel, now The George, was central office for ‘XDO West’ signals.

WRNS were billeted at Gordon House in High Street , The Pier Hotel itsef, and at HMS Manatee – Norton Holiday camp.

 

Navy at Yarmouth, Pier hotel

Navy at Yarmouth, Pier hotel

Navy names  Pier HotelS0201364

Signatures of WRNS, Marines and others stationed at Pier Hotel 1940s

Joy Lawry: WWII 1939

WWII

In 1938, for Yarmouth, like other communities, life changed; we were preparing for war. Everyone was fitted with gas masks and volunteers were called for A.R.P. duties (Air Raid Precautions) and for the L.D.V. (Local Defence Volunteers), later known as the Home Guard.  Conscription for the forces began with what were known as the “Militia Boys” and they all did us proud.  Yarmouth at that time was a very close community, families and their forbears having lived here for a very long time.  Our young men found it hard being taken from working as butchers, bakers etc. to, after a short training, becoming a fighting force.

Town Hall sandbagged 1939

Town Hall sandbagged 1939 photo: Eileen Smith

The A.R.P. had their headquarters at the well- sandbagged Town Hall to begin with, but moved later to the Royal Solent Yacht Club where frequent blood-doning sessions were held.  The A.R.P. consisted of telephonists, wardens, First Aid and ambulance drivers.  The ambulance was a laundry van, from the laundry in Heytesbury Road which was the main employer of women in Yarmouth, with some male drivers. Rescue practices were held at the Mill.
Some men and women went to work in Aircraft factories at Freshwater and Cowes.  Several girls joined the forces, and women took over from the men by driving delivery vans.

 from an article by Joy  Lawry nee Cotton b 1922

Ron Wallis: Thorley WWII 1940s

WWII: a boy’s perspective

From 1941 we were living at Lee Farm, Dad was bailiff for Granny Haigh. Later we moved to Thorley Lodge, then Michaelmas Cottage ( now South Lee) and eventually North View.

I can remember seeing the overturned earth from bombs which dropped adjacent to the railway line just east of the Lee Brickyard.  I imagine they were trying to hit the railway line.  How many bombs it was I don’t know, but I can remember seeing two craters.

I was outside with father one night, because when he was not on Home Guard duty, he used to love being outside watching it all go on, and you could see the search lights and the anti aircraft shells bursting. All of a sudden there was this terrific screech, which you did get occasionally when you had stuff coming down. And there was this bang and the next morning father found this large piece of shrapnel which had gone through the roof of the meal house.   It was about twenty yards away from where we were standing.

There was a gun emplacement at the top of Broad Lane, a bit before you get to Dog Kennel, on the side of the road there where there’s a footpath goes across.  It was only about twelve foot square. Where the Home Guard used to go night time I don’t know, Brook, I think.  Father did have a rifle quite quickly after the Home Guard was formed, although they didn’t have enough to go round. Yes, he was handy with a shotgun. As well as having a couple of shotguns of his own, he did have a revolver and very nice large knife, a beautiful thing, illegal these days.  Him and Bill Welstead were Home Guards.

I would have ten or nine, I remember being fairly close to the old estate carpenters shop and I could hear vehicles coming in through the gates. At that time, closest to Thorley Lodge was a granary and that big stone barn, and alongside that was a double tin barn. I was there playing, and these vehicles came in and scattered themselves around the area in the yard and adjacent fields. There were three or four fifteen hundredweight Bedford type things with lots of aerials sticking out, with canvas backs. One had a solid back, if I remember it was a Commer.  There was at least one armoured scout car, couple of motorcycles and two or three large-ish type jeeps – and the men had an odd uniform with pill box type peak caps for officers.  I didn’t know what they were saying or who they were.  It was only when father took them down a basket of eggs we found out, not what they were about, but who they were – French. They were there probably for two days and then one morning they were gone.  That was a few days before or after D Day June ’44.

We milked in the long stable and the cows would have just been chained up. It was quite a herd.
I think there was about eighteen in the bottom shed and six or seven in the top shed, twenty five milked by hand. One man could milk twelve, they reckon, so there must have been two men milking.
We had an Italian Prisoner of War, Giovanni Azara, he became head milker along with father. Father was always up at half past five every morning and they used to bring ‘Johnny’ over about seven o’clock.
He arrived probably ’42. He had farming experience, I think he was from the Po Valley agricultural area so he knew what he was doing and he loved being with the cows.  He had a terrific pride in his work.  He was lovely chap.  I would think he was about twenty.
You weren’t supposed to allow them in the house or anything.  I must admit mother flaunted the rules a bit towards the end particularly. We had to get permission to give him a crucifix when he left and I can remember him hugging mother and crying because he didn’t want to go home.

We didn’t have holidays.  Gracious no.  Went to Grandmother’s and Auntie’s for tea on Sunday.  We weren’t short of food. Father could go and shoot a few rabbits, there were plenty about.

I remember there were two old ladies, spinster ladies, the Misses Vaudrey. They lived over at Cranmore somewhere.  And they used to come two or three times a week with mashed fish and stuff to feed the farm cats.

There were some celebrations I remember, I’m sure it was VE day. My grandmother and two of my uncles lived at Marks Corner, and I can remember going up there and there was a great big long table laid out with lots of goodies. Some of the soldiers in Parkhurst Forest were Canadians but I think these were Americans; they seemed to provide all the goodies.  We had a big party to celebrate.  But I don’t remember any parties going on in the Yarmouth area. I think it was just a sigh of relief.  Ron Wallis b 1935