Bill Dorey: - The experiences of a war time evacuee.
I was evacuated on September 3rd 1939, with my Mother and two brothers and two sisters. The youngest of the family was one of the brothers aged 3 months; I was the eldest having reached the ripe old age of nine.
We arrived at Liphook Village Hall and were then allocated to our accommodation at Bramshott. We stayed there for a short time before moving to Hewshott, where we all occupied a gardener's cottage, complete with the only mod con of running cold water.
We were very fortunate to be able to stay together as a family for the duration of the war.
Our father was still in London.
Early schooling was at the village school at Bramshott, I can remember that we dug for victory and the school kept two pigs. I cannot remember if we enjoyed them at school dinners or not.
The time came for me and some of the other lads to move on, by now we were wearing long trousers!
A few others and I were fortunate to be sent to Battersea Central School at Hawkley, where I was able to meet up with other "Town Boys". Before evacuation our family lived in Kennington.
I have vivid memories of travelling to school. First leg was by bicycle from Hewshott to Liphook Station, where a kind lady allowed those from the outlying districts to leave their bicycles in a large shed in her garden. I believe her name was Mrs. Budd, a relative of our neighbour at Hewshott. There were no parking charges!
Quite a few youngsters used the train to get to school, the numbers increased as the years went by, most of them travelling to Petersfield, our contingent de-trained at Liss.
Arriving at Liss we turned left out of the station, to what I think is now known as the Triangle, where we waited at the bus stop. At the bus stop, waiting for collection was the school milk ration for the day, which we duly loaded onto the bus. The bus was a single deck vehicle, I believe at one time it was an Albion.
Our journey to Hawkley was not without interest. The bus, which in retrospect appeared to be of doubtful vintage, even then, often had difficulty in negotiating the bend at Hawkley Hill, especially in the winter. The smell of burning brakes and clutch would often linger in the nostrils well into the second lesson of the day.
Many a time we all had to get out and if not pushing, walk up the hill. I am sure that on some occasions we arrived at the top before the bus!
My memories of school are happy ones. Our lessons in the hut were always interesting, particularly during Chemistry. I recall entering the hut for the lesson and seeing quite elaborate experiments already prepared, on Card Tables, never the most stable of benches. As you will remember the wooden floor of the hut was quite flexible, any movement and the card tables would sway. Naturally all eyes were focused on the movement of the experiment with its test tubes and a complicated Condenser. Thankfully, accidents were few and far between; bearing in mind that new equipment was hard to come by. There was a War on! I think that at a later date Chemistry was moved to the main building, with a more stable floor, although card tables were still used.
One of the most enjoyable times was on a Friday afternoon Assembly. Which always contained a lot of singing, mainly Hymns I think, led by Mr Lewis. I am sure that we did quite a lot of singing at other times with Mr. Lewis. I can remember " Riding down from Bangor" and finding out who "Sylvia Was"
I am sure my appreciation of music and singing emanated from that time.
At Christmas time, we enjoyed seeing the film ‘A Christmas Carol’ shown on the School projector. At other times we made our own entertainment with our amateur antics on stage. I can recall being a Roman Soldier, my costume being made out of a potato sack. One of the acts was ‘The Operation’, when a white light projected objects in silhouette on a large white sheet. All the action taking place from behind the sheet. This gave reign to the schoolboy imagination, many and large were the objects removed from the patient.
Our lessons were occasionally interrupted to go collecting Rose Hips in the fields, gathering wood from the Hangers for the Bake house Ovens or digging for victory in the field near the school. On my visit to Hawkley for the 2003 Reunion I was reliably informed that the field was near the Pub!
Whilst on the subject of the Bake house, what wonderful dinners were prepared there for us by the masters wives and the ladies from the village. Seeing the Bake house again brought back many mouth-watering memories.
Whilst on the Hanger collecting wood we came into contact with some Italian Prisoners of War who were working there. This was our first contact with the ‘enemy’.
As a member of the Army Cadet Unit led by Mr. King, we learnt how to use a rifle and became quite proficient at field craft and other military wiles.
Army Cadet Unit 1943 Mr. King centre
If you can identify other please contact the webmaster
Top row- 2nd from left is Jim Money. Top row 2nd from right is lan Oliver. Middle row 2nd from right is me (Bill Dorey). Jim and Alan were local boys from Liphook. Front row 3rd from left Joe Simpson. Michael Bryant is 2nd from the left, in the front row. Arthur Govus is second from the left in the middle row and Tom Cowell is the sergeant next to Mr King (Tom writes "The key link for me is the badge on my left arm. It is a PT instructors insignia obtained at the Army School of Physical Training. Mr King arranged some interesting courses for me including cliff climbing on the Isle of Wight using toggle ropes. Ah those were the days. Tom")
As part of our training, we went to camp around the area, where we hid like Ostriches when the Buzz Bombs (V1) came over at Beaulieu.
Several of us attended a Course on the Isle of Wight, in 1944, at Bouldnor Gun Battery at the western end of the Island. It must have been a PT Course, because we did a lot of road running around the area, dressed in singlet, shorts, boots and socks.
It kept us warm; it was just after Christmas!
Our two sergeant instructors, members of the Army Physical Training Corps, had been clowns in civilian life. They tried to teach us some tricks, the only one I remember was to balance a straight backed chair with each leg on a vertical beer bottle and then to do a hand stand on the back of the chair. Some of us succeeded!
As a note of interest, I understand that, two of the huts from the gun battery were disposed of after the war, and one of them is still being used in a boat yard where I live in Bembridge. I resist the temptation to spend the night in it; I can still remember the cold of 1944.
My memories of wartime activity, is of watching the dog-fights in clear blue skies, the build up to D Day with vehicles of every description making their way south, most of the marked with the Allies White Star, and the return of the wounded from France to the Military Hospital at Bramshott and Hindhead. One morning, whilst waiting for the train at Liphook Station, the down side platform was crowded with boys and girls going to their various schools. Shortly before the train was due to arrive a German fighter-bomber came down the line. We all scrambled for what cover was available; I ended up amongst the coal under the third arch of the bridge, with several others from the school.
The fighter-bomber opened up with machine gun and cannon leaving marks on the bridge and damaging the window over the adjacent Railway Arms entrance door.
Looking through the main bridge arch we could see our train making it’s way towards us, fortunately the Enemy plane did not turn back although we had a few anxious moments. When the train arrived at the platform, all was clear. It was then that the Village Air Raid Siren sounded!
A very good friend of mine, who shall be nameless, who was sheltering under the arch with me, injured his leg on a lump of coal. He insisted that an enemy bullet had hit him. I wonder if he ‘ dined out ‘ with that tale in future years! After this incident we always waited near the shelter of the bridge for our train. Not surprisingly many others joined us there.
The more I type, the more thoughts start to trigger my memory. Sadly not in very great detail.
My time at Hawkley were happy times. I left the School when it returned to London and attended Churchers College for a short time. Leaving in 1946 to return to London to a different home, our home at Kennington had been destroyed by enemy bombing.
The only item left was one Dining Chair, which is still in the possession of the family.
Footnote:-
It was good to attend the 2003 Re-union, all thanks to Peggy Carpenter who advertised the Girls School Re-union on Radio Solent and set me off to look for the Hawkley Web Site.
Thanks to Harry for the Re-union organisation and to Cliff for the Web Site and thanks to all those who attended for making it such a happy and interesting day.
Doreen and I look forward to meeting you all again in 2004.
Bill Dorey.
