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Extracts from Mithian by Tony Mansell

Maggie and Tom Dyer lived at Tuckaway Thatch, Mithian, during the 1930s to 1950s with their children, George, Ken, Pauline and Tom. During World War II Maggie operated an unofficial eating-place nicknamed, by the servicemen from the aerodrome, 鈥淭he White Elephant Caf茅.鈥�

During the war years the Mithian Women鈥檚 Institute minutes are full of references to the 鈥渃urrent difficulties鈥� and of how the W.I. members involved themselves in the war effort. In 1939 a budget, 鈥渁llowing for heavier expenses due to the war,鈥� was passed and the minutes referred to the difficulty in, 鈥減lanning ahead at present.鈥� The 1940 minutes spoke of, 鈥淭he need for thrift for the use of Home and Country and the need of entertainment 鈥� particularly for the airmen stationed within reach.鈥� The 1941 minutes record that, 鈥淴mas gifts be sent to all local men in the forces鈥� and that the Red Cross, Rosemundy Home and Truro Infirmary should be supported. An item in the 1945 minutes refers to the use of the hall by Mithian Football Club and this may well be for the joint meeting with St. Agnes Football Club which is mentioned under football. There is also an item regarding the collection of haberdashery to be made for Holland. At the 1949 meeting Mrs. Hussey, President, did the, 鈥済ood news, bad news鈥� routine. The year had been very successful with thanks going to everyone but the subscription was rising from 2/6 per year to 3/6 per year. Of this, Mithian W. I. retained 1/-, the County 1/6 and the National Federation 1/- (1/- equals 5p). In 1950 someone was beginning to get tough and proposed that, 鈥渢hose who have not paid (their subs) by Jan 31st will be fined the amount of 3d.

The hall was clearly an asset to both the W.I. and to the village in general with many community events being held there. Freda Male recalls the many concerts, pantomimes and dances that took place there during the war years with the numbers being increased by the airmen from Perranporth aerodrome.

The school - On the 11th July 1940 the numbers increased by the addition of war evacuees from Tottenham, London, an occurrence that could have raised many problems but did not. With them came their Headmaster, Mr. F. Moore who lodged in the Miners Arms. David Docking, who attended the school at this time and who lived in the Miners Arms, recalls being quite peeved by this arrangement.

George Symmons Snr. agreed to buy some packs of village photographs in 1937. The photographer duly set to work and produced a set of six views of the village. George thought that he had signed an order for six dozen packs that he proposed selling at a halfpenny each or 3d per pack. He had, unfortunately, signed for 60 boxes containing umpteen packs. He accepted it as his error and took delivery and boxes of the cards were stored all over the house. He despaired at ever being able to sell them and even resorted to using them as notepaper. When World War II started and personnel at RAF Perranporth from all over the world swelled the village population, they were in great demand and he was able to increase the price and sell the lot.

The presence of the air force personnel during World War II must have changed the complexion of village life considerably and it probably did the commercial establishments no harm at all. A certain lady who was known for entertaining the troops during the war was 鈥渙n duty鈥� one dark night when Ken and Roy Miners were on their way home from Perranporth. Roy felt the need to relieve himself and was shocked to find that he had chosen the same piece of hedge as the couple. Ken said that Roy seemed the more surprised.

All communities were affected by the 1st World War and village life had to adjust to some extent but people carried on as best they could and tried to put on a mask of normality. The war brought with it a lot of fear and concern of what might happen but the Sunday School Tea Treats and other events continued to take place and people went about their daily life.

With the advancement in aerial warfare World War II seemed much closer to home and the presence of Trevellas or Perranporth Aerodrome and the billeting of military personnel, was an ever-present reminder that we were on a war footing.

The nearby aerodrome was an important base and Frank Carpenter in his book, 鈥淪t. Agnes 1001 鈥� 1999鈥� states, 鈥淭he airfield at Trevellas opened as R.A.F. Perranporth (even though most of the airfield was in the parish of St. Agnes). The first Squadron to be stationed there was No.66 fighter squadron with long range Spitfires. Until this station closed in 1944
many different aircraft were flown from this airfield by many nationalities, but there was always a Spitfire squadron station here. I suppose it was because of the station鈥檚 remoteness from any big city and night life, it became a posting for the bad lads of Fighter Command.鈥� There were many nationalities including Polish, French, Canadian and Americans as well as British.

The sound of planes landing and taking off was very common and the recently used phrase of, 鈥淲e counted them out and we counted them back鈥� was a common practice. Arthur Benney recalls seeing our planes leave the aerodrome and often counting a smaller number return. 鈥淥n the occasions when the entire squadron returned, we didn鈥檛 have to count; we could read the euphoria in their manoeuvres.鈥� Many homes and farms were sacrificed in the creation of the aerodrome and there are many that remember the buildings that now lie below its runways. It still exists as an aerodrome but there is much debate regarding its future.

Part of the Miners Arms was commandeered for military offices during the 2nd World War, it had a close decision between there and Mithian Farm.

I referred earlier to Maggie Dyer from Tuckaway Thatch and Heather Harvey can still remember the wonderful smell as she cooked pasties for the airmen using the ingredients that they had supplied. It sounds as though she was so in demand that she may have been running an early version of the, 鈥淭ake Away.鈥�

The tremendous noise of the American Flying Fortresses hedgehopping as they passed over on their way to France is a memory that has been recalled by many people. Courtney Jenkin said that, 鈥淭he planes were so low that it seemed as though we could touch them with a long pole.鈥�

As in most rural communities, many Mithian families had evacuees living with them and there is mention of this in the Mithian C P School Centenary booklet. Wally Jones and Charlie Newman were both 10-year old evacuees from London. They arrived for a two-year stay in 1940 and lived at Goshen Farm with the Miners family. Ken recalls that the marked contrast with London was difficult for them but that they fitted in very well and attended Mithian School. Charlie had a rude awakening one day when he jumped over a hedge and landed in a wasp nest. He was chased all the way back to the house and, in Ken鈥檚 words,鈥淗e was pickled.鈥�

Arthur Benney also recalls the Mithian air raid when a German bomber was chased by Spitfires and jettisoned its bombs down the valley from Lovely Vale. It was reportedly shot down before reaching the coast.

Millicent Rowe managed to cause some panic when she decided to drive the car along Mithian Lane but forgot to use the brake at the junction and shot across the Perranporth to St. Agnes road, hitting the Women鈥檚 Institute. Jimmy managed to apply the handbrake and reduce the strength of the impact but not enough to avoid the partygoers inside the hall thinking that an enemy bomb had hit the building.
The life of the Land Army girls was far from easy and Avril Chapman recalls having to get up at 5.00am to bring in the cows for milking. Following this, the milk had to be cooled and bottled before being loaded on to the trailer for delivery on the milk round. Returning from the round she could enjoy a one-hour break but then it was time to wash the bottles and prepare for the evening milking session. During the summer, there was the additional work involved in harvesting when full use had to be made of the available daylight hours. The job entailed working a six and a half day week for which she was paid 拢1 per week with no overtime. Board and lodgings was included with accommodation in the farmhouse. Life was very hard but did have its compensations with frequent social activities being arranged, mostly at the Women鈥檚 Institute.

Rationing was introduced for the war years and continued after the cessation of hostilities and up to about 1950. The Government issued books of coupons and families used these to obtain their provisions. Many items were in short supply and the system was introduced to ensure that the necessities of life were shared out equally. The following items were affected but the list is by no means comprehensive; flour, butter (2 oz), cheese (4 oz), sugar, bacon (4 oz), tea, fat, margarine, lard, sweets, bread (for a short period) and meat. The system was designed to be fairly rigid but I am told that there was a certain amount of local flexibility!

George Mitchell of Trevellas recalls that in 1940, Mr. Hoare, who lived below Mount May, asked Tom Ford for directions to Wheal Davy Farm where he wanted to visit Henry Johns to buy a harness for his pony. He pointed him in the right direction and told him to take the mine stack as his landmark. With the stack in view he set off on his bicycle travelling past the school and down the hill towards Barkla Shop. On climbing the hill on the road to Wheal Butson he was surprised to find that he had lost his marker. He travelled around for some time trying to catch a glimpse of the mine stack and did, eventually, get to his destination. On his return he asked Tom to point out the landmark again but it was no longer there. At the exact time that Mr. Hoare was in Barkla Shop, and out of view of the stack, the military had blown it up to avoid it being used by enemy planes as a marker for the aerodrome. Wheal Prudence and two other stacks received similar treatment.

During the hardships of the 1930s and the war years, many families turned to keeping chickens and there were some with over a 1,000 birds. George Mitchell recalls that, in the 1930s, timber chicken houses from TLG (Tommy Gill) of Blackwater were 38/- (拢1.90) for a 6鈥檟4鈥� shed without a floor or 42/- (拢2.10) with a floor.

Mr. and Mrs. Tippett and Ernie and Stanley Chapman collected the old chickens in their pony and trap although what they were used for I am not sure; maybe it was for the zoos.

David Docking was seven when World War II started and he recalls that the children could not appreciate the seriousness of the situation and were very excited by the thought of the fighting. During the early period of the conflict there was a lot of activity when the aerodrome was being built. Lorries carrying hardcore would make their way up from Barkla Shop and boys would suddenly appear and hang off the back of the lorry as it struggled up the hill. He remembers many of the local men going off to war and the influx of RAF personnel and, later, the Americans. He also recalls the Americans having plenty of money that made them very popular with some of the local girls. Apart from the anticipated conflict with the enemy there seemed to be a lot of tension and fights between the white and coloured Americans. David also did a little trading, from a side window of the pub, as he bartered some of his Grandfather鈥檚 bottles of beer for American gum or whatever.

The children of the village were clearly influenced by the activities of the war when they decided that they would practice parachute jumps off Wheal Liberty viaduct. Maurice Dymond constructed a parachute out of an old blanket, proceeded bravely to his launch point and jumped. He plummeted like a stone and landed in the gorse and bracken. Apparently he was unhurt and a little wiser.

Dandy or dilly racing was very popular with the boys and Henry Solomon remembers spending a lot of time looking for old wheels on the aerodrome. There was always a contest to try and produce a faster machine so that they could become the champion but it seems that no matter what they did, no one could beat Arthur Legg of St. Agnes. Henry鈥檚 proud boast is that he could free wheel all the way from Goonbell to St. Agnes beach. Apparently it got a bit hairy as you crossed Peterville but there wasn鈥檛 as much traffic about in the 1940s.

The local ARP group had their Head Quarters at Mithian School and the Mithian Platoon of the Home Guard was in Trevellas Institute. Frank Moore was the Captain of the Home Guard and Hedley Roberts and Leslie Shugg were next in command.

There were a number of locations used for living accommodation by the RAF and the map shows two of these. Site No. 4 was near the top of Piggy Lane on the left hand side. This was a four-acre field referred to as Mowhay Field. Site No. 5 was located down the lane beside the school and in the field at the rear of Trenoweth, the home of Chris and Maureen Bones.
You will see from the plan that there were numerous buildings on the sites and the following table shows their usage and construction.

Bldg No. Building Type
SITE No. 4
184 Picket Post TB
185,186 Sergeants鈥� barrack huts L
187 Latrines TB
188,189 Airmen鈥檚 barrack huts L
190-194 Airmen鈥檚 barrack huts H
195,196 Latrines TB
197,198 Sergeants鈥� barrack huts L
199 Latrines TB
200-203 Airmen鈥檚 barrack huts L
204-205 Latrines and drying rooms TB

SITE No. 5
210 Picket post TB
211-213 Airmen鈥檚 barrack huts L
214 Latrines and drying rooms TB
215,216 Airmen鈥檚 barrack huts L
217,218 Airmen鈥檚 barrack huts H
219,220 Latrines TB
221 Latrines and drying rooms TB
222-227 Airmen鈥檚 barrack huts H
228 Latrines TB
229 Latrines and drying room TB

Buildings: PB 鈥� Permanent Brickwork
TB 鈥� Temporary Brickwork
Hutting: N 鈥� Nissan
L - Laing
H 鈥� Handcraft
A 鈥� Asbestos
T 鈥� Timber
C 鈥� Corrugated Iron Sheeting
Shelters: AS 鈥� Air Raid Shelter
BS 鈥� Blast Shelter
CS 鈥� Cycle Stands
GP 鈥� Gun Posts

Ken Miners recalls using the line daily on his journey to school in Truro via Chacewater during 1939 to 1944. The cost of the trip was seven pence (approximately three new pence) per day return. Heather Harvey remembers the delays at Chacewater station during the war when priority had to be given to the troop trains. This could be up to an hour and there was always a couple of extra sandwiches in the lunch box just in case. She also remembers walking home from Mithian Halt after school with Dawn Shugg and combining this with bringing the cows in for milking.
During the 2nd World War many servicemen were billeted at the top of Piggy Lane (and elsewhere) and it became a familiar sight to see them walking up through the village from the train to their temporary home.

At the age of fourteen Courtney started work at Tresedder鈥檚 Nurseries but he was one of ten people laid off just six months later when World War II started. He then found work on the Trevellas aerodrome where he and about forty other farmers, with their horses and carts, were employed picking up stones that were transported to Nanckuke for the construction of runways.

During the 2nd World War Beryl took in a number of evacuees and one family, Doris Bartlett and her two children, Keith and Richard, came to stay in February 1941 for just a couple of weeks but did not leave until 1944.

Kernick Ely鈥檚 humour could be described as 鈥渄ry鈥� or ironic as typified by his statement when fighting in the Ardennes. Lying in a shallow trench full of water with bullets flying all around he looked at his mate and said, 鈥淲e may be enjoying this now but we鈥檒l suffer for it in later life.鈥�

The children of the village were clearly influenced by the activities of the war when they decided that they would practice parachute jumps off Wheal Liberty viaduct. Maurice Dymond constructed a parachute out of an old blanket, proceeded bravely to his launch point and jumped. He plummeted like a stone and landed in the gorse and bracken. Apparently he was unhurt and a little wiser.

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