Tag Archives: WWII

Mary Henderson: Thorley, 1930s, 1940s

My mum lived all her life here, going to school in Thorley. She took the Scholarship, but didn’t hear anything and went to West Wight Secondary School. After she’d been there about 3 months, a man turned up in the classroom and asked what she was doing there:
getting on with her work she said. Apparently, she’d passed the Scholarship but no one had told her, so then her parents had to find the money to pay for her uniform and she had to travel to Newport to school on her own, leaving all her friends.

Sue Henderson nee Hillier

One day when she was at home ill with tonsillitis, Mr. Biddlecombe from Wellow appeared on a ladder painting her bedroom window frame. She politely asked him how he was and was surprised when he told her that he’d had a chill. His wife hadn’t aired the waistband of his underpants properly, he told her.

In WWII, Kath and Marge, my mum’s older sisters both joined up, the WAAFs I think. Because Marge wasn’t very old, they had to share a billet. Mum was only 10. Dad was 9 years older and went straight into the R.A.F. when he left school, ending up in Singapore.
Mary Henderson b 1954

Cyril Henderson in RAF uniform

Mary Henderson, Sue Henderson nee Hillier, Thorley

My Mum, Sue Henderson nee Hillier, was born in Blacksmiths Cottage in 1929 but moved to Newclose Cottages, the east side, when she was one. She was christened ‘Eileen Amy’ but her grandmother said she was such a little dumpling, a ‘suet dumpling’ that she was nicknamed ‘Sue’ and known by that name from childhood!

Newclose Cottages 2013

My Grandad, Frederick, was known as ‘Shep’ Hillier, – he was shepherd for Newclose Farm. We think his prize sheep were Dorset Horns ; he certainly showed them in Dorset. Although ‘Shep’ followed his father, who was also a shepherd, he had served as a police constable in the Plymouth dockyards, at a time when policemen always went out in twos. He was a Special Constable in WWII
(Yarmouth School Log book 1944 Sept.8^th : Police Reserve Hillier gave children a ‘Safety First’ talk this afternoon)

Shep Hillier earthing up potataotes 1940s photo Jean Storie

My grandmother Amy Rose nee Barton had originally come from Shalfleet but was working in service in Dorset when she met and married my granddad.
She was wife of a shepherd so she had ‘cade’ or orphan lambs to look after in her kitchen at lambing time, masses of washing to do with only a boiler but I remember how it was always neat and tidy. Mary Henderson b 1954

Ron Wallis: Thorley, WWII,

We moved over to Thorley, in the event of the army taking over the farm at Lower Hamstead in 1941.
I transferred straight to Thorley School with Miss Kitty Pearce. There was David Holtom and Ivan Winsor from Wellow, Daniel somebody from Wellow, a girl Welstead who lived in New House, and a couple of Bellman boys who lived up Hill Place Lane. The school closed quite quickly after I got there – I’m sure it wasn’t my fault! And then we got transferred to Yarmouth in 1944.

Thorley School late 1930 with Miss Kitty Pearce, teacher

Whilst we were at Thorley School there was the occasion when we heard the roar of aircraft outside, and this Hurricane was low on fuel and it had landed in the field opposite the school. It got refuelled and took off again later in the day. Ron Wallis b 1935

Thorley School photo 1932, 1930s

Thorley School 1932

Thorley School pupils c 1932

Back Row: Hazel Trowbridge, ? Robinson, Margery New, Gladys Scovell, Ivy Russell, Vecta Cooper
2^nd row down : Reg Cozens,?Welsted, Kath Cozens, Cyril Henderson, ?Robinson, Jack New, ?Eileen Thornton,Margery Henderson, Not Known

3^rd row down: ? Welsted, ? Robinson, Phyllis Squibb, Billy Henderson, ? Robinson
Front Row: Not Known, Not Known

Margery New married (1) Andy Cooke d WWII (2) Bill Colenutt
Gladys Scovell married Vic Whittingham, Ivy Russell married ?Stone
Marge Henderson married a Canadian soldier during WWII and went back to Canada as a war bride.

Phyllis Squibb lived in Whitewalls. Her mother Elsie was a teacher, her father Frank worked for Mills. Vecta Cooper lived at Upper Lee Farm with parents Henry and Fanny, and Aunt May Cooper. The Welsteds lived in New House or Upper Place ( there were 2 related families, spelling their name either Welstead or Welsted).Cyril and Margery Henderson lived at Acorn Cottage with parents Victor, a Coastguard, and Florence. Cyril married Sue Hillier who lived in one of the pair of Newclose Cottages, eventually living in the newly built Northview. J.C.

Rodney Corbett: Early days

Before the new road was built, Tennyson Road,led to 'back lane' not a thoroughfare.

Before the new road was built, Tennyson Road, led to ‘Back Lane’ which was not a thoroughfare.

War brought my father here, Royal Corps of Signal. My grandfather came here as a Royal Engineer in the first war – so I’ve got some fresh blood. At the end of WWI he married my grandmother. She was a soldier – I’ve got a picture of her in uniform – I think she was quite a radical actually, a typical Methodist radical. They then moved away from Yarmouth because he was in the Army and my mother, being the eldest, was sent back to live with her grandmother, my great grandmother. My great grandma to me was like my grandma, and she was born in 1866. I called her ‘Gran’.
My father was away at war, so we all lived with, ‘Gran’ in Field Cottages on Tennyson Road. They were pretty cramped and small – two up, two down, with no hot and cold running water. The toilets were at the end of the garden. Of course the road didn’t go anywhere then, just up to Back Lane so it was much quieter, we could play in the road. Rod Corbett b 1943

Yarmouth and Thorley Voices

Learn about the history of Yarmouth and Thorley from the people who have lived it