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Doris was married to Leslie, whose family owned the ‘Elite’ Bus Company, which was based at St Helen, Bishop Auckland. She recalls that all buses had to be camouflaged at the outbreak of war.

At the start of the war all the heads of the various local bus companies met to plan cooperation in the use of their transport in the event of evacuation and for the conveyance of workers to the factories (including the munitions factory at Aycliffe), and for the use of buses in the movement of troops. Apart from Chamberlain’s buses other local bus companies included Bluebell, Stevenson’s, Lockeys and the Eden Bus Co and all these came under the aegis of the ‘Passenger Emergency Transport Pool’ whose Commissioner, Bob Hunter, was based in Newcastle.

The ‘Elite’ Bus Co garage was based at St Helen but soon after the declaration of war the garage space was taken over by the Army and Military Policemen were trained there.

The Chamberlain family lived in the old Manor House at St Helen (which is now the ‘Wheatsheaf’ public house), and was the only house in St Helen to have central heating at that time. The large house had a cellar and this was converted into an air raid shelter complete with seats and tinned food.

Many troops were billeted in, and around the area, and Doris had a Major Ansell at her house. Doris was paid a £1 per week for billeting Major Ansell. Major Ansell was responsible for running a military bakery at the St Helen Clothing Factory. On occasions Doris received a welcome loaf of bread, courtesy of the officer. Later in the war Doris had another two officers billeted at her house, one of whom was suffering from nervous depression since his evacuation from Dunkirk. On one occasion an officer’s wife his daughter stayed with him at Doris’s house, having travelled from Motherwell, Scotland.

There were also many people evacuated to the area and by a remarkable coincidence her brother took in an evacuee with the same name as Doris: Doris Chamberlain from Newcastle upon Tyne, although no family connection. A large house opposite the church in St Helen, in which Oliver Cromwell lodged in the 17th century, was used by troops and the local church hall and chapel hall were used to shelter privates

Doris’s father, who owned the ‘Victoria’ pub in Witton le Wear, served in World War 1 and during the Second World War became the officer in charge of the Home Guard at Witton. Doris remembers her mother telling her about seeing enemy bombs being dropped on the nearby village of Etherley — a raid in which an evacuated boy from Newcastle was killed whilst playing on some swings.

Doris’s father ran his pub in Witton le Wear very strictly and would allow no swearing or singing on Sunday nights. Some Land Army girls arrived in the village and were lodged at ‘The Towers’ (then a guest house). Their arrival at the pub met with initial surprise from the regulars, but Doris’s father let the girls use a special room with a piano for them to play. After initial surprise with the new attitudes brought by the land girls, they were treated with respect and admiration for the hard work they did. The ‘Select Bar’ was reserved for the local men to drink in.

To supplement the war diet her father kept a pig called Sarah which was fed by scraps from the family. When the pig was slaughtered the meat was divided amongst the family. A similar fate awaited the ducks and other poultry kept by Doris’s father. According to Doris it was possible to buy items such as sugar and eggs on the black market to further supplement their diet.

Doris was also involved in fund raising events, such as whist drives, to raise funds to buy treats for the soldiers and a Miss Logan, an evacuee from Sunderland organised a free supper each week for the local troops. Food was donated by the people of St Helen and the supper was held in the old school (now the Roman Catholic Church).

Doris remembers a good friend of hers, John Craig, being a pilot. He was shot down during the evacuation of Dunkirk but there was great rejoicing when he returned to his home in Witton le Wear. Sadly John was later killed in the Battle of Britain.

This remeniscence was written by Ken Otter on behalf of Mrs Chamberlain and added by Catherine Dawson of Woodhouse Close Libary.

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