大象传媒

This story was submitted to the Peoples War website by a volunteer from 大象传媒 Essex on behalf of David Newman, and has been added to the site with his permission. He understands this sites terms and conditions.

The planned celebrations in West Hanningfield to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe prompted me to reflect on what happened in the village on that occasion and how its residents had been affected over the war years.

By the end of the war, out a village of less than 400 adults, of whom 55 were in one or other of the armed forces, 3 had been killed on active service; a number had been wounded and 3 were taken prisoner of war (2 in the Far East by the Japanese).

One of those killed was Lt was blown up while attempting to make safe an unexploded bomb in London. By coincidence it was fellow members of the Bomb Disposal Squad, to which he had belonged, who shortly afterwards saved our church from serious damage when they made safe an unexploded bomb which fell a few feet from the church gate.

In all, dozens of high explosive bombs fell on the village plus hundreds of incendiary bombs, one V! (Flying bomb or 鈥淒oodlebug or what else we called them) and one, possibly two, V2s (46 feet long rockets).

Although many houses received superficial damage, only one house was destroyed and there were no casualties. Very few people had air raid shelters so many sat under the kitchen table or the stairs during air raids to afford some protection should the house collapse from bombing. Incendiary bombs were different, there was no explosion, you just had to go outside to make sure your roof was not on fire!

Many air battles were fought over the village during the Battle of Britain and later in the war, the skies were full of American and British bombers passing overhead on their way to bomb Germany. Four aeroplanes crashed on the village but none of the crews were seriously injured. Two Spitfires and one Hurricane fighter came down during the Battle of Britain. One American Flying Fortress bomber crashed when its crew bailed out because of a fault on the plane. The large 4-engined aircraft, loaded with bombs and without any crew, dived on the village twice before crashing near where the reservoir buildings are now situated.

Most of the able bodied men were in the Home Guard and on more than one occasion took up action stations when invasions were thought imminent. Should the enemy have parachuted in they were our only means of defence. The nearest soldiers, apart from half a dozen manning a searchlight in Hall Lane, were miles away.

Many women took up employment to help the war effort and others provided the casual labour necessary to bring in the harvest as it was less mechanised than it is today. They also provide the major force handling the First Aid and Welfare services. Agriculture was of prime importance of course and every available acre of land was used in the provision of food. During the height of the harvest, work would continue by light of the moon even when enemy aircraft were passing overhead.

What did we do in the village when the war was over? Not a lot! One day we were at war, the next we were not (although of course men were still fighting in the Far East and two of our people were prisoners of war). There were no organised celebrations but people clebrated in their own way. The 鈥淚vy House鈥� public house had about the only outside light in the village; we put in a bulb and when it was dark we switched it on. After six years of black-outs we now

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