大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by volunteer from The Chepstow Society on behalf of Barbara Beddow and has been added to the site with his permission. Barbara Beddow fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Home Life

There were only a few 鈥榓ir-raids鈥� when we used the shelter which our father dug out and concreted in the garden. He worked really hard building it and surrounding the entrance with bags filled with sand. None of the neighbours offered to help but they were glad to share it on more that one occasion. Our parents were too glad of their company on the long nights when the 鈥榓ll clear鈥� did not sound for hours. The slept sitting on sacks stuffed with straw.

Sam and I went to Larkfield in 1944 but when he was at the Boys School he can remember that he saw a German plane flying down the river Wye one afternoon and ran in to say 鈥淢um I saw a Heinkel 111 fly down the river鈥�. His mother said 鈥淣o, it can鈥檛 be, but they heard later that it was indeed a stray plane which shot at the Army camp at Beachley as it passed. Sam thinks a sergeant was killed.

School

I started at the Church School in September spending one term in the Infants with Miss Davis presumably so that they could assess my abilities. After Christmas I was moved into Mrs Orlidge鈥檚 class in Standard 1. She was a plump motherly lady who lived in a bungalow opposite Larkfield where there is now a close called I think, 鈥楬ill Top鈥�. I remember her taking the whole class to be vaccinated against diphtheria at Dr Horan鈥檚 (Oram鈥檚) at the top of Bridge St. This was his home and surgery. Mrs Orlidge held us each in turn with our head in her ample bosom so that we should not see the needle, we feared we might be smothered. Next day many of us sported a sling to protect our vaccinated arm.

The following September the war started and the school had it鈥檚 windows criss-crossed with brown sticky tape in case of bomb blasts. Each child who did not live within five minutes of the school was allocated to a nearby child鈥檚 home to which we had to run when ever the Air Raid siren went off. I and about four others went to the flat of Jennifer Shock and her family situated over Miss Martin鈥檚 hairdressers next to the Lydney Trading. Jennifer had an older brother and teen age sisters who appeared very glamorous to eight year old girls. Later we were told to go the cellars of number 5 Beaufort Square, as an old derelict house on the corner of Station Road was called. We had to carry our gas mask in a box on a piece of tape over one shoulder and a tin on a tape over the other shoulder, containing a bandage, a bar of chocolate, a pack of 3 or 4 biscuits and a stick of barley sugar. Emergency supplies if we could not get home. I remember once we all sitting on bales of straw and orange boxes in the cellar singing 鈥淭en Green Bottles鈥�. More fun we thought than lessons.

School

Also June I remember that there were by that time evacuees from East Ham and West Ham in our class. Marina Ellis was allocated to Mr & Mrs Watkins the builder in Mount Pleasant, and Iris Hinson was with Miss(Mrs) Watkins (I believe the name was) in Welsh Street near the Catholic Church. Thinking of this class at school reminds me of marbles in the playground and singing 鈥渟he鈥檒l be coming round the Mountain when she Comes鈥� with what we thought were risqu茅 words, such as she鈥檒l be wearing pink pyjamas when she comes鈥� and 鈥渟he鈥檒l be wearing mother鈥檚 bloomers when she comes鈥�.

By 1942 I was in Mrs Reese鈥檚 class and Keith my brother was in Miss Orlidge鈥檚. She also led the girls who were in the St John鈥檚 Ambulance Brigade (or was it Red Cross) Muriel Trussler and Hazel Hoskins could help you with this. The second year of Mrs Reece鈥檚 class was called the 鈥楽cholarship Class鈥� where those considered capable were coached for the exams to Monmouth and Larkfield Schools. In 1944 Margaret Judd passed for Larkfield and Monmouth Girls school and went to the latter. Elsie Johnson and I did not sit for Monmouth as were both the eldest of three and the bus fares and uniform were expensive. We both passed for Larkfield and I was lucky enough to win a scholarship.

At Larkfield we had a temporary head for the duration of the war. Mr Robinson (Tubby) who lived opposite the school with his wife, and two sons who were also pupils at the school at that times. The real head Colonel Webb was away on active duty. He returned about 1946 or 47 and lived in St Lawrence road. Another younger teacher Mr Ball was also away during the war and most of the girls fell in love with this handsome sun-tanned 鈥榟ero鈥� on his return. Only one teacher came to school by car and he was a part-time Art teacher Mr Jakeman who lived in Newport. The car park at school easily housed the one car and few bikes belonging to pupils. A few ex-pupils were also at War and sadly some lost their lives.

Town

On one occasion a stick of five bombs was dropped on the town. One fell on the German camp at St Lawrence which pleased the locals no end. The other fell into the mud below the Castle where my friends brother Donald Barton (then at Larkfield and later head boy) climbed down to obtain a souvenir. Another fell in the river and two in the Windmill Field at Tutshill where my brother and his friend found a piece of a tail fin off the bomb with the German eagle on it. It was illegal to collect souvenirs of enemy planes or bombs so dad made him take it to the Police Station.

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