Consolidated Billets: Probably March 1940

These are taken from an undated, mainly typed, list, indicating that in the main the billet addresses were considered as at least semi-permanent. I deduced the date of origin from the fact that I am listed as billeted at Mrs Mortimer’s, number "4" (should be "3"?) Empshott Place, to which I moved from Mrs Randall’s in December 1939, and my brother George is at Mrs Pride’s, Lower Green, to which he moved in February 1940.

Name

Age

Billet Address

Abbott Leonard

15

Mrs Potter, Snailing Lane

Abbott Donald

13

Mrs Potter, Snailing Lane

Benfield, Fred

11

Mrs Toop, Wyld Green Farm, Liss

Booth, James

14

Mrs Potter, Snailing Lane, Greatham

Burcham, Charles

14

Mrs Raby, Lower Green Cottage

Burcham, Jack

9

Mrs Raby, Lower Green Cottage

Burcham, Eric

6

Mrs Raby, Lower Green Cottage

Bridgen, Cyril

14

Mrs Mills, The Hollies, Hawkley

Birch, Kenneth

13

Mrs Barrow, Scotland Farm

Checkley, William

10

Mrs Waghorn, Avoca, Snailing Lane

Checkley, James

13

Mrs Waghorn, Avoca, Snailing Lane

Crafter, Bruce

15

Mrs Warner, Hawkley

Creed, Stanley

12

Mrs Chiverton, Empshott Green

Crofts, Catherine

12

Mrs Handley, Stairs Hill, Empshott

Crofts, Peter

14

Mrs Tarr, Yew Tree Cottage, Empshott

Davis, Charles

12

Mrs Baring, Empshott Grange

Duffy, Margaret

12

Mrs Hudson, Hawkley Hurst

Douthwaite, John (Jack)

12

Mrs Davies, Hawkley Hurst

Douthwaite, Clifford

8

Mrs Davies, Hawkley Hurst

Dickeson, John

11

Mrs Davies, Hawkley Hurst

Dickeson, Richard

13

Mrs Davies, Hawkley Hurst

Eastland, William

13

Mrs Randall, Stairs Hill, Empshott

Eaglestone, Leslie

13

Mrs Andrew, Uplands Farm

Figg, Colin

?

??????????

Gatward, Maurice

12

Mrs Pullman, 2 Laundry Cotts, Le Court

Glee, Frederick

15

Mrs ?, Woolmer Lodge, Liss Forest

Goodson, Dennis

11

Mrs Eaton, Snailing Lane, Greatham

Govus, Arthur

11

Mrs Shorter, 2 Homefield Cottages

Hassell, Peter

14

Mrs Chappell, Vann Farm, Newton Valence

Hassell, James

11

Mrs Chappell, Vann Farm, Newton Valence

Hilton, Victor

11

Mrs Davies, Hawkley Hurst

Hopkins, Reginald

11

Mrs Shorter, Homefield Cott, Hawkley

Hemmings, Leonard

12

Mrs Davies, Hawkley Hurst

Hemmings, Ronald

6

Mrs Davies, Hawkley Hurst

Jelley, Elizabeth

11

Mrs Money, Prouts Farm, Hawkley

Jelley, Cecilia

11

Mrs Money, Prouts Farm, Hawkley

Janes, Alan

11

Mrs Dansotone, Mint Rd., Liss

Jones, Alan

13

Mrs Williams, 4 Stairs Hill, Empshott

Jones, Gerald

7

Mrs Williams, 4 Stairs Hill, Empshott

Luetchford, Hugh

14

Mrs Baring, Grange Cottage, Empshott

Matthias, ?

11

Newhouse, Mint Road, Liss

Merry, Arthur

13

Mrs ?, 3 Parklands, Snailing Lane

Mullings, Arthur

13

Mrs Smith, Stairs Hill, Empshott

Newton, John

14

Mrs?, Hop Kiln Cottage, Scotland Farm

Norford, Eric

12

Miss Knowles, Homefield Cotts, West Liss

Raine, Richard

10

Parsons Piece, Hawkley

Ravera, Paul

13

Mrs Whittington, 1 Hurstgate Cottages

Saunders, Ronald

12

Mrs Spalding, Garage Cottage, Hawkley Hurst

Sammonds, Charles

13

Mrs Mortimer, 4 Empshott Place

Sammonds, George

11

Mrs Pride, Lower Green, Hawkley

Thomson, Douglas

10

Mrs?, Lower Green, Hawkley

Thomson, George

14

Mrs?, Hawkley Mill, Hawkley

Trim, Harold

15

Mr Warner, Lower Green Farm

Trimmer, George

11

Mrs Andrews, Uplands Farm

Tyrell, Robert

13

Mrs Smith, Jolly Robins, Hawkley

Withers, Henry

15

Mrs Andrews, Uplands Farm

Woodgate, Stanley

12

Mrs Whittington, Brickfield Cottages

Wright, Peter

12

Mrs Chiverton, Empshott Green

Yates, John

13

Mrs Tull, Stairs Hill, Empshott

So, at this time, probably March, 1940, there were 57 evacuees on the Hawkley Roll, plus 6 masters and 4 wives. Comparing the "Order of March" list and this one, it is obvious that some boys had returned to London within a few weeks of evacuation. It will be of interest to know which boys and the reasons for their returning.

I am surprised that some of the names of billet hostesses were not known at this stage of administration; perhaps some survivors reading this may be able to let us know? Also, any alterations or additions, based on the evacuees’ personal experiences, will be useful. There were quite a number of changes of billets over the five years and ten months of total evacuation: for example, my brother George and I were put to the Chappell's at Empshott Green on September 1st, where we were not welcome because we were not girls! Within a few weeks we were moved to Mrs Randall’s on Stairs Hill (with another two or three lads) as a temporary measure. Then at the beginning of December we were transferred to numbers 2 and 3 Empshott Place, I to Mrs Mortimer’s and George to an Army captain’s wife. However, the captain went and George moved to Le Court’s Bradshott Lodge (? with Butch Luetchford at the time). This entailed a long walk to the school at Hawkley, so shortly George transferred to Mrs Pride’s at Lower Green, with whom he stayed until he returned to work in London in 1942. Mrs Pride became Hawkley’s Postmistress until well after the War.

My host, Mr Mortimer, was the estate manager for Lord Selborne until 1941 when he obtained a post at Basingstoke, and I moved to Mrs Smith, number 3 Stairs Hill. I remained there virtually until I was recruited to the services in 1944, and kept in touch until she died at the age of 93.

It would be of interest, and provide an evacuation archive, if ex-evacuees wrote briefly about their stay in the hamlets of Empshott and Hawkley.

Having been given some of Dr Raine’s files, I shall attempt to record more about the activities of the School during evacuation, including basic data about the Rowlands Castle contingent.

Charles Sammonds

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