Jack Douthwaite
Jack about 1938 or could be earlier?
Hi
Memories - of an evacuee Battersea Central School to Hawkley September 1939. You may have read elsewhere how the school came to Hawkley and where Clifford my younger brother (in his memories) has explained how he and I came to Hawkley Hurst this must have been about the end of November 1939 and my most vivid memory is of that Christmas 1939 at the Hurst. The Squire had invited all the boys parents down to Hawkley for Christmas. I don't know how many of
the boy's parents came but our Mum came Dad could not come and Mum was given a room in the front of the house (left) and she must of thought she had come to Buckingham Palace because it was an enormous room.
The room itself was probably bigger than the whole of the house we lived in Battersea. I remember she saw a telephone on a table by the side of the bed and she was awfully worried and she said 'What do I do, what do I do if that rings' because we didn't know anything about telephones, but we assured her 'don't worry Mum, Mr. Hudson the butler controls all telephone calls and he knows you are in this room and he won't put a call through so you don't have to worry.'
I don't remember much about Christmas Eve I suppose we were allowed to spend time with our parents but on Christmas morning 8 o'clock like every other morning in the year we were marched into the hall in the front of the house, with all the servants for morning prayers and the Squire read from the bible and lead us in prayer and I have no doubt being Christmas Day it was the Christmas story from the bible.
After prayers, and it was only a short five or 10 minutes we had breakfast then we had to walk up to the village to the church for the Christmas Day service. I don't remember anything about the Service I expect it was the same Christmas Day service that you get all over the world. After the Service we walked back to the Hurst where we were served Lunch. A bit of a surprise here because the Squire had employed a Catering Company to come in for the day to do the whole of the housework and the catering for the day so his own staff could have the day off.
Anyway we had lunch and after lunch us boys were told to go to our rooms and lay on our beds for an hour - we had to have an hour's rest and I have no doubt we read comics or books and about 3 o'clock we were roused out and made to go through our final rehearsal for the Christmas Nativity play we were putting on. I remember we had some problem with the role of Mary - none of the boys wanted to play a girl's part but fortunately I think one of the gardeners had a young girl to play the part. We went through our rehearsals and the whole thing went off all right. I remember I was a shepherd, my younger brother Clifford was an angel, he wasn't an angel but with his blond hair and his blue eyes, butter wouldn't melt on his face, he made a perfect angel
4 o'clock came and the guests started to arrive. Now all the guests were the chauffeur and his family, the head gardener and all the gardeners and their families, the farmer and his farm hands, everybody that worked for the Squire came and they came in through the front door which was unusual for them. It was probably the only time in their lives that they came through the front door of the house where Mr. Hudson the butler, he was the only that hadn't been relieved of his duties for the day. No way was he going to give up his special day.
He announced them as they came through the door and they were greeted by the Squire and Mrs. Davis and they were seated around the enormous Christmas tree that had been set up in the hall and which us boys had been helping to decorate all through the week. They all sat round and were served with, I suppose there was tea and coffee, I can't remember but there were certainly soft drinks and little cookies and everybody chatting away. When the last arrived, just before 5 o'clock, nobody dared be late, they were told to be there between 4 and 5.
We all sang a couple of carols, or they did, while we got dressed up and we put on our Nativity play which everyone knew by heart, nobody had to worry about forgetting their lines because if you forget them everybody in the audience knew them and when we had finished a polite applause. Everybody was asked to pick up their chair and proceed into the billiard room where trestles had been set out and tables laid for the dinner and every person had a place name to find and settle themselves down and it was all diplomatically done, people were all mixed up so they could talk to each other and when everybody seated the Squire and his wife, I don't suppose there was any of his family I guess there was, at the head of the table.
View of the Billiard Room wing of the Hurst in 2002, presently the White Court home of Brian Cain, Christmas 1940 the setting for the party.
Mr. Hudson the butler rang a little bell for silence and announced that the Squire would say grace and the Squire got up and once again welcomed everybody and said after I have said Grace you will served with your meal. Please don't wait for everyone else to be served, the cooks have taken a lot of trouble to prepare the meal the meal and don't want it to get cold, please tuck in as soon as you are served.
With that he announced Grace and sat down and the doors were open and in came the waitresses with steaming plates for everybody, there was turkey and chicken and ham and roast potatoes and all the vegetables for at that stage there was no shortage of food, the war had only been on a few months and the Squire had his own farms and they had their turkeys and chickens and they grew all their own vegetables and had milk and cream and butter from the dairy and their own eggs. They might have even had pigs as well, I don't know, but probably the ham was the only thing they had to buy.
This marvellous meal was served and afterwards when the plates were collected there was a short period of time when we had to pull the crackers and put those silly hats on and read all those funny things that come in Christmas crackers and then chatter, the bell rang again, dead silence, and the door opened and in came Mr. Hudson carrying an enormous silver tray with a great big Christmas pudding, flaming with brandy, marching down to the head table followed by Miss Imms with a smaller tray and a smaller Christmas pudding with no brandy on it. This was for the under age people.
The Squire got up, stood up, and Mr. Hudson handed him an enormous knife and he stood there with over the Christmas pudding and he said now don't be afraid there are no silver six penny coins in the pudding I couldn't afford one for everybody and there was polite laughter, with that he plunged the knife into the pudding and the waitresses took over from there and served the Christmas pudding.
There were jugs of custard and cream on the table, there was also fruit salad, and cream for those who couldn't take the Christmas pudding. By the time we had finished all that everybody was absolutely full and a little time was given to idle chatter and then were asked to pick up our chairs and take them back and put them around the Christmas tree again and as we did so we noticed while we were having our meal, an enormous pile of Christmas presents had arrived.
Father Christmas had come and put all these presents under the tree and us boys sneaked up trying to see the labels, but we were fooled because they were only numbered and when everyone was seated. Mr. Hudson picked up a present and called out the number, Mrs. Davis had the list, and she called out the person's name that went up and got it from the Squire and shook hands with him. Someone announced, please don't open your parcels until everyone has been served so finally, there must of been about 50 or 60 people there, there was an enormous crowd of people, finally everyone received their presents and of course they were all feeling and shaking it and wondering what was in it and everyone was served and the Squire said go!
And there was great tearing of paper and oohs and aars and I remember I got a double Decker Bus, a tin bus painted red with people painted on the windows, it was a push along thing but I was thrilled to bits with it and when I looked at the bottom, underneath, it said made in Japan. Little did anybody there at that time know what those words meant. We sang another few carols around the piano and it was time for everyone to leave.
Unfortunately that was the last time this would ever happen because by the time the next Christmas came around the war had taken a bite and this was the end of an era.
Jack and elder brother Robert (Bob) left in Amies Street, Battersea, about 1937, the cast iron railings were removed later as part of the war effort to obtain iron and steel.
Jack in the 11 th Battersea Scout Troop in 1939 a Scout Cub sixer
Hawkley Hurst location a long walk to school but a home rather grander than Amies Street Battersea!
Jack in the Royal Navy served on the Cruiser HMS London shown above
More information on HMS London CLICK here.
Jack in 1986 at The Swagman Restaurant gateway to the Dandenong Mountain Range , Australia.
