Hawkley Hurst

Ted, Jack & Cliff Douthwaite

Evacuees to Hawkley in Hampshire 1939

First placement

Martin’s Farm, Higher Oakshot Farm.

The welcome given was rather muted as Mrs. Martin had agreed to take three nice girls, and having three Battersea boys was rather a shock and this became apparent, as we were soon shunted out to one of the unwilling farm workers wife.

In 2002 all three Douthwaite "boys" had the privilege of revisiting Oakshott Farm under better circumstances and were delightfully welcomed by the new (of 35 years!) owners Sue and David Rigby. To be allowed to enter the Farmhouse after so many years was a rare treat, although the property had been much enlarged and of course much of the interior changed. We enjoyed the welcoming tea where Larry Knowles their gardener who was of our age during the evacuation, but was and still is a Hawkley lad joined us!

Ted returns home to Battersea

Second placement

Jack & Cliff moved to farm workers cottage on the same farm with Mr. & Mrs. Stevens, daughter Daphne who works in post-office/shop, since closed.

Jack & Cliff come out in rash, suspected Yellow Jaundice, move to children’s isolation hospital near Petersfield. Finally resolved as reaction to the well water at the cottage, cleared after 2 weeks but return to Hawkley Hurst. Perhaps Jack was too much of a handfull for Mrs Stevens? but more likely due to the limited space in the cottage.

Final placement

Hawkley Hurst 1940

Owner Clive and Mrs Davies – The Squire

(Susan Sinclair granddaughter of Clive, daughter of Geoffrey Davies)

Cliff acts as "pageboy" spreading rose petals at Gwendoline’s wedding at Hawkley Church 1940/1?)

Below Hawkley Hurst 2000

Mr. Hudson the butler lived in cottage opposite the milking parlor, since converted to a single dwelling! (poor cows!)

Mr. Spalding the chauffeur, lived in the Bothy (Garage Cottage) opposite Power House (right background) and Saw mill (left background - since removed), had a boy Michael Spalding (centre front), this Bothy since much enlarged and modified to an elegant house. The second chauffeur was named Norris, he took over when Spalding was called to serve in the forces.

Peggy Carpenter (who went to BCS but had left by 39) also reports my late husband was born in Hawkley and my brother-in-law, Alan Betsworth, was also a chauffeur to Mr & Mrs Clive Davies at Hawkley Hurst, before and after the war.

If any body can clear the confusion about chauffeur the webmaster will be delighted, of course the Davies's were rich enough to have more than one!

In picture Cliff Douthwaite, (left) Michael centre Jack Douthwaite, behind Margaret Douthwaite and William Lomath, visiting Hawkley married later in 1944. In the background left is the Hurst private sawmill, since removed. The stone building on the right house the garages plus the Hurst private power plant for electrics, house a diesel electric or was it petrol Perkins generator, since converted to a private residence.

Mr. Sutherland, Head Gardener, lived in cottage adjoining the butler, since converted to a single dwelling and much enhanced. (shown left in 2001)

Mr. Kemp the Carpenter, see the relationship, CLICK here.

There was also a housekeeper Miss Harris

Mrs. May Hudson was the head cook and the remaining housemaid was Lizzie a single lady whose mother lived near the church in Hawkley village.

Frau Williams the second Cook mainly for the evacuees, suspected German informer, Jack Burrage has all the inside information on this subject. More likely taken away as all German nationals were interned for the period of the war.

In addition, other staff of cooks, maids, gardeners (one of the garden workers was Harvey, he also cleaned the Davies family shoes first thing in the morning ) etc. More pre-war information is available here.

Miss Imms (**), Governess employed by Mr. Davies to look after at least ten boys, as follows

Jack & Cliff Douthwaite shown left in front of the Hurst in 1940

Lennie & Ronnie Hemmings

Dick & John Dickeson

Victor Hilton

Charlie, Jack, Eric Burrage

George Philpot (cousin of above from Portsmouth)

Tom Cowell (click left to find more about Tom)

Jimmy Hind (St Anns School Wandsworth)

Local Baker Harry Dawson daughter Margaret now Mrs. Stockwell

Hawkley Hurst about 1950 with thanks to Lady Susan Sinclair

I was surfing for sites with my surname on and was surprised to find a site dedicated to Hawkley Hurst. The governess mentioned, Miss Imms, was my father's cousin, Caroline [known as Carrie]. We visited her a couple of times whilst she was living at Hawkley Hurst and my brother and I had enormous fun exploring the house. I have lots of memories of the place too. I was not aware she was a governess; I thought she was the housekeeper. In fact I do not live that far from the house now, just ten miles north of Basingstoke. It was amazing to see the pictures; I have one of my own somewhere. Anyway, I just thought I would drop you a line to let you know.

Best regards Andy Imms

19 Springfield Road, Pamber Heath, Tadley, Hampshire RG26 3DL)

Dear Mr. Douthwaite (e-mail received April 2006)
I was browsing on Google looking for references to Hawkley Hurst and found your website.
I was very interested to read about the evacuees and their memories of Hawkley. My mother, Katherine (Kitty) George, was Parlour Maid at Hawkley Hurst during the war years, she used to talk about Mr. Hudson the butler and Mrs. Davies the owner of Hawkley.
My grandmother, Beatrice George, also helped look after 'the boys' at Hawkley. I had always assumed that these were the children of the owners but now, having read your website, wonder if they were in fact the evacuees!
My mother passed away in 1992 but I do have some photographs which I believe were taken at the time and an invitation dated 1942 to attend Tea and Fun at Hawkley Hurst organised by the Committee of the Hawkley Schools' Canteen (Mrs Raine, Mrs King and Mrs Davies) with RSVP to Mrs Raine at Parsons' Piece.
I hope this will be of interest to you.
Best wishes

Sarah Hallson
mailto: shallson@hexagon.org.uk

More details of life at the Hurst after 1943....Here - from Joan Attewell. (nee Pritchard)

Book by Elizabeth ? "Yet softly tread the leaves" covers the history of Hawkley Hurst, CLICK here for a short synopsis.

Cliff & Jack return to New Malden 1942/3? Parents had moved from Battersea. On the left Cliff and Jack on the same steps of the Hurst in 2000. A little older and perhaps wiser?

Jack and his family emigrated to Australia in 1955 and has retired to a part of Victoria in a place called Buchan which is about 5 hours drive from Melbourne.

Cliff has also retired, he finished as a Lecturer at the University of Surrey in CADCAM, he lives in Epsom Surrey, more details can be found on this LINK.

On the left a 1940 shot of the west wing of Hawkley Hurst this included the Billiards Room which was not available for the evacuees, who tended to live in the other wing.

Below is another picture of 2000 vintage showing the three Douthwaite boys in the courtyard with the present owner of the wing. This is now called White Court and the interior has changed somewhat over the course of the last 60 years, but still has the grandeur of the old Hurst.

Commander Brian H Cain RN, the owner of White Court (in 2000) very kindly guiding those "boys" around his delightful property.

Brian showed us the Hurst cellars which were used for the few air raids - a stick of bombs dropped by a bomber being chased by a RAF fighter one bomb landed in the High field at the Hurst and the older evacuees helped to fill in the crater being paid a sixpence per hour!

Another of the bombs landed on Abbott's Farm, we never heard if the turkeys survived. The vaulted roof of the cellars filled Cliff's senses with a strange feeling even after 60+ years.

Thanks to the goodwill of Brian Cain in 2002 the Douthwaite "boys" were invited to view part of Hawkley Hurst which is designated Selborne Court this is the home of Shena Lay and John Rothery. This Court leads onto the front patio, where Jack and Cliff are pictured; the interior is much modified and has a splendid layout with décor appropriate to the magnificence of the Hurst, as we knew it in the 1940's. The views are similar to those old days but many of the trees have grown somewhat!

It is great that Brian, Shena, and John have been prepared to let total strangers into their part of the Hurst, many thanks folk.

More Hawkley Hurst photographs, CLICK here.