´óÏó´«Ã½

The following stories were originally published in Arthur Lunn’s book ‘Cove: A Village at War’, Chapter 17. They have been reproduced and submitted to the People’s War site by Tracy Yates, Centre Manager at Mayfield UKonline Centre on behalf of Arthur Lunn and added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

The Dead Dog

Another wartime exploit as told by Janie of Bedale is of the passing of the family pet. There were no vets in Cove but a lady member of the RSPCA, Mrs Jennings living at ‘Raeburn’ in Boundary Road, was always willing to ‘put to sleep’ suffering animals. An unusual task for an artist and well-known exhibitor at the Royal Academy. Unfortunately she had no means of disposal of the body so Janie was obliged to carry the remains of her pet terrier back home in a stout cardboard box. She caught the bus as far as Hemmings Stores, set off for home in Fleet Road with her heavy load, getting only as far as the stream bridge before the string was cutting her fingers. Along came a kindly Canadian soldier with an offer of help. He carried the box on his shoulder as far as Janie’s garden gate never knowing what the load was, then walked on back through the little tunnel under the railway to his barracks at Southwood. This was only just in time, for by then the dead doggie’s tail was beginning to show through the end of the now battered cardboard box.

Canada’s contribution to Village life

The arrival of thousands of Dominion soldiers in Cove was to introduce to the village youth a glimpse of conditions in an entirely different land and way of life. Familiar in many ways because at least we all spoke the same language, but at the same time they brought in a whole range of new and colourful vocabulary in their curious yet highly descriptive ‘cussing’!

Treasured by every child of school age were precious copies of the comic section of papers like the Toronto Evening Star that introduced boys and girls to such famous characters as Orphan Annie, Li’l Abner and the ‘Smoo’s’.

Village dance halls, St Johns Church Hall, the Labour Hall and the Institute became places of great personal danger when Canadian soldiers demonstrated their skills in dancing the ‘Jive’ and ‘Jitterbug’, which involved flinging their partners in all directions.

Cove School and the Burnt offering

Having worked in the new school when it was first built in St John’s Road, I felt very envious of the spending facilities it provided for incoming children. As an apprentice fitting the dozens of bench-top gas taps in the new science laboratory my thoughts went back a few years to when I had left (the old school across the road), having had only half a term of very rudimentary science, introduced by Mr Reynolds,

A few weeks after the war had started I again had reason to visit the school. This time it was to the kitchens. On arrival the corridors and classrooms were full of the unmistakable aroma of burning beef. In a hurry to get everything finished by late afternoon the day before, Mrs Jones, the top lady cook, had forgotten the oven was on and contained a large haunch of beef, enough for the whole school, hot one day and cold or mince the next.

Left on Regulo 6 from 4 o’clock that afternoon until 7am the following morning when Mr Baker, the caretaker, opened up, it was burnt to a cinder. A sad loss to the school, for already food was getting short and rationing was soon to be introduced.

Recriminations and excuses flew in all directions. Mrs Jones said the caretaker should have noticed when he did his rounds and locked up for the night. In turn Mr Baker said cleaning and checking kitchens was the responsibility of the kitchen staff, not part of his job.

I got away from the scene just as soon as I could and have no idea how the school fared for meals for the next two days or how long the smell hung about.

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