大象传媒

Mrs Horton had a 鈥榝ortunate鈥� time during the war. She was Matron of the Royal School, Bath (a school for the daughters of Army Officers) until she got married in 1942. Lord Bath of Longleat was one of the Governors of the school and had said that, if war broke out and the school buildings were to be requisitioned by the MOD, he would accommodate the pupils and staff at Longleat House. At the end of the summer term in 1939, the girls were instructed to mark all their possessions (beds, cabinets and everything they were leaving behind for the holidays. They were not told why but it was just in case everything had to be moved before the start of the new term. During the holidays some of the senior staff, including the Matron, were told to return to Bath and make preparations to move 鈥� war was on its way. Once war was declared, the school was requisitioned immediately and they were turned out lock, stock and barrel. Some 300 staff and pupils arrived at Longleat House, with all their possessions! Mrs Horton remembers how they filled the house, leaving Lord Bath only his private quarters and his library. There the school remained for the duration of the war. Although they felt a little cut off, they were able to cycle into Frome or Warminster and Lord Bath made his horses available so they rode out in the grounds. If alarm bells rang they had to go down to the vaults and Mrs Horton remembers one occasion, just before D-Day when the bells were sounded at about midnight. All the girls had to be woken and, wrapped in their bedspreads sleepily made their way down to the vaults. 鈥淏ang鈥� they heard and then 鈥渂ang鈥� again and again. What they were convinced were bombs dropping all around them proved to be a door banging in the wind and they all trailed back to bed again.

Mrs Horton was one of the last people in the Assembly Rooms in Bath before they were destroyed. In those days they held dances there and everything was very formal, all wearing evening dress. She and her husband were there this particular night with friends. Suddenly it was announced by the staff that the sirens had been sounded and everyone was requested to go to the basement. The friends they were with had left their small child at home with a babysitter so the four of them agreed it was more sensible to go home. As they were on their way home through Sally in the Wood they saw the planes coming over and dropping flares 鈥渏ust like fairy lights over the city鈥�. Embers from the Regina Hotel set the Assembly Rooms alight that night.

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