大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People's War site by CSV Storygatherer, Martine Knight, on behalf of Geoffrey Maynard. They fully understand the terms and conditions of the site.

Before the war in 1938 & 1939 a German naval cadet training ship 'The Schleswig Holstein' made "courtesy" visits to the port of Falmouth. The ship was privileged to anchor at St Just pool in the Carrick Roads.
The crew were all hand picked men. All over 6ft, blonde hair and Aryan types. These men were all issued with powerful and expensive cameras and were taking pictures everywhere they went. With hindsight it was a typical Dr. Goebbels propaganda exercise. The residents of Falmouth were invited on board and were ferried out to the ship by its pinnaces, all flying the Swastika flag.
The officials and men attended church parade in Falmouth Parish Church and were feted, wined and dined by the Mayor and Corporation.

It became obvious that the photographs were used to build up a detailed picture of the coastline around Falmouth and surrounding district. No doubt these prints were consulted when the port was later bombed on numerous occasions during the war.

The ship left Falmouth and, shortly afterwards, was engaged in shelling Danzig in Poland. Because of this aggression towards Poland by the Germans the Second World War commenced on September 3rd 1939. This was announced, on the then Home Service, by the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, "That we are at war".

Almost immediately anyone that was able bodied, youth organisations, scouts etc assembled on Gyllngvase beach and filled thousands of sandbags. These were collected and distributed to premises of national importance, such as hospitals, first aid posts, police stations, for protection against bombing.
The Territorial Army was already mobilised because of the national situation.

The streetlights in Falmouth, at the outbreak of war, were gas lamps. These were extinguished for the remainder of the war. All the houses, shops, factories etc were blacked out and car headlights had special filters fitted.

Everything was fairly quiet for the first few months, but the seriousness soon became apparent when the barrage balloons and anti-aircraft guns appeared on several sites around the town and outlying districts.

The population were all fitted with gas masks and severe rationing was taking place. There were public air raid shelters built and the Royal Observer Corps had posts in town and around the coast to plot enemy aircraft approaching.

At Feock the GOR (Gun Operations Room) was at Trelissick and Penhale estates. These controlled the anti-aircraft guns protecting Falmouth. Air raid sirens gave warnings of enemy aircraft approaching.

At the outbreak of war there was little or no education. Most children left school at 14 (some earlier) and joined pre-service organisations such as Army Cadets; Air Training Corps; Naval Cadets; St John Ambulance. Others were ARP messengers or did fire watching duties.
The local defence volunteers (LDV), later to be known as the Home Guard, were formed. Quite a lot of hotels and large guesthouses were requisitioned for military use. Pendennis Castle and the whole of Castle Drive was closed and out of bounds to the general public.
The beaches were also closed and had tank traps, barricades and barbed wire entanglements on them.

In May & June 1940 France was captured by the Germans and the BEF (British Expeditionary Forces)were evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk. At one time there were 97 ships of all shapes and sizes in Falmouth Bay and all available buildings, halls & cinemas were used to accommodate the troops.
After the fall of France the Germans secured airfields on the coast at Brest and Cherbourg, which shortened the flying time for the German Luftwaffe to reach the West Country.

July 5th 1940 saw the first air raid on Falmouth docks. Several ships were damaged including 'The British Chancellor' (oil tanker) and the 'SS Tuscalusa'. The wharves were also set alight.

July 7th 1940, at 5.30 pm, was the first air raid on the town and was when our family was bombed at 31, Lister Street. The air raid siren had sounded and the whole family took refuge underneath the stairs. There were 7 of us (4 in our family and 3 relatives evacuated from London). Within a few minutes the bombs fell and the house came down around us, all buried and choking with dust. The bombs also broke the main gas pipe - the gas being poisonous - and the main water pipe. The water was rising quickly and we could have drowned and we realised there was a large crater that was filling up.

After some time, it seemed like hours, we heard the rescuers shouting "Is there anyone alive in there?".
Eventually we were rescued and taken to the FAP (First Aid Post)where we were treated for cuts and lacerations to our heads and bodies and for loss of hearing and concussion. I spent 36 hours in Falmouth Hospital and then the whole family was evacuated to Mawnan Smith.
Although our house was completely demolished, on one wall (minus the plaster) stood a crucifix, which was not damaged and which I still have as a tresured possession.

There were five in the family opposite - they were all killed and total casualties numbered 25.

These raids continued on the docks and town throughout the war.
The last raid was on 30th May (Whit Monday) 1944 when a large force of German bombers bombed several hotels on Falmouoth seafront and caught fire to the high octane petrol tanks at Swanvale - these burnt for several days.
Most of the residents of Swanvale were evacuated because of the fires.
Falmouth, at one time, had more air raid warnings than anywhere else in the country.

1943 & 1944 saw the Americans arrive in their thousands. They set up large camps all in preparation for the D Day landings.

On leaving school in 1940 I was employed by an electrical contractor and, after eighteen months, I transferred to the Post Office Engineering Department (now BT)for 45 years. I still remember two special occasions, which were indeed a privilege and a pleasure.

The first in 1942 was to provide telephone service for Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, at the Falmouth Hotel.

The second in 1944 was to install (under tight security at Tulimarr, Perranarworthal) secrecy (scrambler) telephone equipment for General Eisenhower who had been inspecting the embarkation hards at Turnaware, Point, Tolverne, Falmouth & Helford River.

I also helped to maintain secrecy equipment on board Lord Runciman's yacht at Helford, which was the flagship of the SOE (Special Operations Executive)and also at their two houses Redifarne and Pedn-Billy in Bar Road, Helford Passage.

I was eventually called up into the Army and joined the Air Formation Signals Regiment and served in Holland, Germany and Denmark. Demobbed in 1948 I rejoined the Post Office Engineering Department and BT until I retired in January 1987.

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