On
the left
are icons
for
evacuees to
Hawkley,
these are
personal
memories,
after 70
plus years
these maybe
hazy after
such a long
time span.
Never the
less give
an insight
to the
impressions
made on our
young
lives.
The
plan is to
include all
of those
still alive
if
possible,
so please
send Cliff
your
memories,
good or bad
long or
short. If
you have
photographs
even
better.
More
..........These
are
memories of
Vic Myers,
who was a
pupil at
Battersea
Central
School, he
left before
the 1939
evacuation,
but make
excellent
reading for
any who
either
lived in
Battersea
or who are
interested
in life in
Battersea
pre-war.
More
..........These
are
memories of
Bill Applebee,
who was also a
pupil at
Battersea
Central
School, he
left before
the 1939
evacuation.
More
..........These
are
memories of
Georg Colliety,
who was also a
pupil at
Battersea
Central
School, he
left before
the 1939
evacuation.
More............about
the
evacuation
from Joy Millson nee
Ling,
daughter of
the
Headmaster
More............about
the
Hawkley Hurst downstairs staff!
Hello Cliff, with reference to Charlie Burcham
Charlie Burcham and I were kids together in the 30s but unfortunately it was
decided that I should go to the Oratory Central School in Kensington and
after that we lost touch when the war came along.
I have followed all the posts you have put on the web as I felt close to
your school and I am sure I knew quite a few who went there.
When Charlie died I had a message to say that his daughter had come over
from Australia for the funeral and asking me to make contact so that I could
share some childhood memories with her. Unfortunately the address I was
given must have been incorrect as I never received a response. I don't
have that address now.
So, the short answer is that I do not know how to contact any of his
family. It's a great pity.
I really respect all the effort and time you have put in on behalf of your
friends from your schooldays and I regret that my school did not do the
same. I have tried to make contact with so many friends without success
and I am now 83 so probably many of them have passed on.
I have lived in Florida for the past 40 years so I have been way out of
touch.
Good luck in what you are doing.
Dennis Harrison
PS. In the attached picture, Charlie is third from the right in the back
row. I wonder if you know any of the rest.
This picture was taken in Holden Street School (as it was then known). I'm
not too sure of the year (about 1934), but we were about 10 years old (the
year before the 11 plus) and the teacher's name was (Polly) Cleare. I am
sure that a good number of those kids were at school with the evacuees.
Denis
Hacker. Browsing through
old papers relating to Octavia Street in Battersea led my son and I to a
Google search whereby we stumbled across your article (http://www.seancreighton.com/pdf/HSAN
News 13.pdf this in fact was produced by Sean Creighton after my request
could he help) in History and Social Action News (September 2009) which in
turn led us to the Hawkley website.
I was evacuated to Hawkley on
1st September 1939 and billeted with Mrs Mayoh at Empshott Place. I
returned to Battersea with Roy Geard (my co-billeted) after Christmas 1939.
In June 1940 my family moved to
Ewell, Surrey. I joined the Post Office (Telephone Engineer) - Army service
(Royal Signals) 1945-48
I recently cycled from Empshott
to Hawkley (my wife and I live in Farnham) - everything looks the same.
Visited the pub at Hawkley.
What do I remember of Hawkley?
Hop picking in September 1939. Enjoyed the countryside. Collecting
kindling wood. Not much schooling!
Roy and I returned home to
Battersea because Roy's widowed mother needed his financial assistance and I
decided to go home too because there wasn't any bombing going on.
Hope this helps.
Do let me know if I can help
further.
Denis Hacker November 2009, who
was 15 on 1st September 1939
