大象传媒

The day before war was declared in 1939, a trainload of young men aged 14 and 15 years old, arrived at Ivybridge Station. They were evacuees from London, pupils of Acton Technical College. They had come to Ivybridge by mistake, as they should have gone to Kingsbridge to continue their schooling.

Two months later they were moved to Kingsbridge Technical College. Soon after these young men went to Kingsbridge, the younger children evacuated from London arrived, and were billeted with families in the village. Most of these children stayed for the rest of the war. This resulted in a change in the school routine so that the local children went to school for half a day, and the young visitors for the rest of the day.

The blitz on Plymouth began in March 1941, and as a result hundreds of Plymothians fled to the outlying villages to avoid the nightly bombing. They slept in school halls, churches, chapels, and even in tents in peoples gardens, returning next day to their work in the city.
The WVS would meet at the village school to make endless piles of sandwiches and cups of tea and coffee to feed the hungry refugees.

After the Americans came into the war, some of their troops arrived in Ivybridge, where they took over an Army camp. This created havoc in the village as when they were allowed out of camp, due to their large numbers, they filled the pubs and dance halls. Because beer was in short supply, this left little to drink for the locals. However, the children benefited from fresh fruit, and sweets, and the girls and women had a supply of nylon stockings.

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