大象传媒

This story has been added the website by CSV Volunteer Olivia Davey on behalf of the author (her Grandfather) Gerald Davey who understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

As a 9 year old boy I can vividly remember the 3rd September 1939, the day war was declared. It was a Sunday and with my father, Russell Davey, I had attended Sunday School at Billy Bray鈥檚 鈥淭hree Eyes鈥� Chapel, Kerley Downs, Chacewater. As we walked home about midday, we saw our neighbour, Herbert Burrows, who told us it had just been announced over the wireless that war had been declared. We didn鈥檛 have a wireless at that time.

I lived with my parents on a small farm called Cusvath Coombe, Chacewater and one day in 1940 a group of American soldiers arrived, took possession of several of our fields, erected their tents and turned the whole area into a small army camp. The soldiers were very friendly and some came regularly to our home for breakfast. On Wheal Sperris Downs, nearby, a searchlight was put in place. My father and I would walk there in the evenings and it was fascinating to see German aircraft being caught in the strong beam of light.

My grandmother and her sister lived next door, they had two rooms on the end of the farmhouse and a separate porch and entrance. Grandmother was called Mary Ellen Davey and her sister, my Aunty Katie, was Katie Moyle. They were the proud owners of a wireless. I remember they could pick up the voice of William Joyce, better known as Lord Haw Haw, who was noted for the German propaganda he put out each day. One morning he said a successful raid had been carried out on Bissoe Aerodrome which was in fact a large Poultry Unit of several long wooden houses, resembling R.A.F. hangars. These were owned by a local Bissoe man, Herbert Mitchell.

When London was under threat, children were evacuated to country areas. One evening a group of children arrived at Baldhu School and my mother agreed that one boy could come to stay with us. I was sent to the school on my own to meet this boy and take him to our home. There were several children to be allocated so when it came to my turn, I was asked if I could take two boys. I thought this was wonderful but my mother felt differently when I arrived home. The boys were from Hornsey form London 鈥� their names were Kenneth Roy and Stanley Hawke. Once they returned to London at the end of the war we heard nothing further from them or their families.

Baldhu School doubled in size over night with some of the classes having to meet in the vicarage. As children we enjoyed each other's company - most were happy to come to Cornwall having lived in a town all their lives. Some had no ideas of country life, especially where animals were involved.

When I moved to Truro School in September 1941, we shared the premises with boys from Kent Colege, Canterbury, who with their headmaster, Mr. Prickett had been evacuated to Cornwall.

When the ward ended in 1945, I remember there were parties everywhere. One of my last recollections is going to Chacewater where the whole village turned out to welcome back Marcus Oates, who had been a prisoner of war for many years. He is alive today and still living at Chacewater.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.