Wrekin-News-184

More documents

Recommendations

Info

EVACUATION: ERNIE’S LIFE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN ON THURSDAY 31 August 1939 I was living at home in Highams Park, a small place sandwiched between Chingford and Walthamstow in East London. On Friday 1 September I was evacuated with my school to a lovely little village named Hartington in Bedfordshire. On Sunday 3 September our country and France declared war on Germany because of the German invasion of Poland and the Second World War had begun! Life would never be the same again. I was just 15 years of age and starting my last year at school. The school had been split into two or three parts and the part at Harlington was accompanied by three teachers and we took over the old church hall which, I feel, had not been used for some time. However, it served its purpose well but the three teachers could not cover all The Swan Free House Watling Street Wellington, Telford Shrophire 20 / www.wrekinnews.co.uk We have received a letter from Ernie Dady about his life in the war years in Telford. Ernie has written the letter in beautiful copper script and it starts with his family having to leave London to escape the bombing because of his father’s job at working in Woolwich Arsenal. Here are Ernie’s words and because of the length of his letter, it will probably run into two or three issues. subjects and some received scant attention if not completely dropped from the syllabus. We the pupils didn’t mind that but it meant the end of school exams were considerably curtailed and did not have the same importance as before the war. I had a very happy year at Harlington. I was fostered by a farm labourer and his wife who had a son John aged six. I spent quite a lot of time helping on the farm, feeding pigs and chickens, sowing potatoes, learning to drive a horse and cart, helping with the harvest and thoroughly enjoying country life. As far as Britain was concerned the war didn’t really start until May 1940 when the Germans invaded Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg. The invasion was so swift that the three countries were occupied in a matter of days. It was then the turn of France to be invaded and the British army was trapped in northern France and made the famous and incredible escape through Dunkirk back to England. They had of course to leave SUMMER MADNESS! at Christopher’s restaurant The Swan Hotel ALL DAY CARVERY FOR ONLY £3.95! WITH ALL YOU CAN EAT SALAD BAR! Every Wednesday & Friday Available 12 noon - 3pm and 5pm - 9pm www.swan-hotel-telford.co.uk · Tel: 01952 223781 Email: chris.witton@aol.com Peggy remembers mother’s uncle John Peggy Wilson of Stourbridge writes about George Evans’ piece in the last issue. I read with much interest George Evans’ piece on Wellington’s event to mark the centenary of the Great War. I was given a copy of the Wrekin News by my mother who keeps it for me to read as I now live in Stourbridge in the West Midlands. My mother’s uncle, John Wesley Lloyd is commemorated on the Lych Gate War memorial in Wellington. He served in the 10th Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment and was killed in action on June 6 1917. all their equipment and Britain was at an all-time low. Germany went on to occupy France by the end of June 1940 and Hitler turned his attention to Britain with the intention of invading before the winter! I left school in July 1940 and stayed on in Harlington to help with the harvest, returning home to London on August 10. Two weeks later Germany launched an air attack on southern England and the Battle of Britain started. At first air raids were concentrated on air fields and coastal targets but they soon changed their tactics and started to bomb London. My father worked at the Woolwich Arsenal which was heavily bombed on September 7 1940 with severe damage to the Arsenal which was virtually destroyed. My father survived but many employees were killed or badly injured. Towards the end of September he was posted to Donnington in Shropshire with many other ex-Arsenal employees. It was certainly a journey into the unknown! As Shropshire had just been a place on the map to us and Donnington completely unheard of, they arrived as strangers in a strange land. Donnington had been chosen as a site for a new Ordnance Depot and had not been long open for business. In fact building was still in its early stages with only three store sheds and two clerical buildings completed. The local inhabitants of Wellington, Hadley and Oagengates and St George’s had been asked if they would be willing to help accommodate the influx of Londoners. Many brave people, for they too were taking on the unknown, volunteered to take on lodgers on a temporary basis. My father was billeted with a Mr and Mrs Phipps, a middle-aged couple living at 76 King Street, Wellington. My mother and I stayed on in London until we could find somewhere to store our furniture and await the call to move to Shropshire to re-join my father. We moved to Wellington at the beginning of November, having slept every night since September in the Anderson Air Raid Shelter at the bottom of our garden. With the coming of winter it was becoming increasingly cold and wet in that homemade construction. We were quite relieved to leave these conditions but felt very sorry for those having to stay on in London. But it was with mixed feelings that we left for we were left with the feeling that we were walking out on our friends and neighbours. Part of me wanted to stay and see it through, no matter what was in store for the population of London who were showing they had an unconquerable spirit. It was not to be and we arrived at Wellington Railway Station to be greeted by my father in the pouring rain. It actually rained every day for the next three weeks. Welcome to Shropshire! Next month Ernie gets used to life in Wellington, discovers the Wrekin and thoughts turn to earning a living. He is buried in Souvenir Cemetery, Longeunese, St Omer. His parents Thomas Wesley and Mary Elizabeth Blanche Lloyd lived in King Street, Wellington. My sister and I will be attending with our mother, Mrs Kathleen Swindle who will be 91 in August when the rededication of the brass plaques takes place. We are hoping to join at the Peace Garden where we also have planted a small shrub for our father who passed away in 2012 and who was a veteran of North Africa and the Normandy Landings. We are all looking forward very much to the day.
IEW EV E T WS W EWine THE WREKIN NEWS & Dine RESTAURANT AND PUB REVIEW ✬✬✬✬✬ The Huntsman ✬✬✬✬✬ D PUB REV R QUITE A CHANGE AROUND FOR THE HUNTSMAN! The Huntsman in Little Wenlock has been at the centre of the small village for many years and anyone passing through would have been dismayed to see the once thriving local pub closed or in bad repair... BUT all that is in the past now because it is now in private ownership by a local man and he has spent a small fortune on modernising and extending it to its present very high standard. Not only that but within the grounds there are three cottages; two being let as long term lets and one as a holiday cottage. They also have an electric point for touring caravans or motor homes and also three double bedrooms, all en-suite. Quite a change round for anyone who hasn’t visited in the last two years since the work was done! The large dining room has a massive inglenook fireplace as a feature and seats around 56 covers. There is also room in the bar for more diners and some seating outside which on the night of my visit was very popular. John Duncan is the manager and he has great experience in the hotel trade. He has brought a high degree of professionalism to the venue with an extensive Editor Dave Gregory menu, wonderful ambience and friendly staff. On to the food and a choice of starter was narrowed down to two from six. I had the delicious crab and chilli fishcake with sweet chilli jam and crème fraiche. Lynne had the chicken and wild mushroom pate with onion chutney and toasted ciabatta, both delicious. I forgot to mention that we had a complimentary bowl of home-made parsnip crisps on entry – a nice touch. The other starters were soup of the day, lime and dill potted prawns with granary bread, poached pear, walnut and Shropshire Blue salad or pan fried scallops with crispy pancetta, asparagus and orange glaze. At this stage the diner has the option of opting for a choice of six lighter dishes in preference to the main course and reasonably priced but we forged ahead with the main course and pan fried corn fed chicken breast with mozzarella cheese and garlic filling, supported by delicious chorizo, crushed new potatoes, green beans and red wine jus. The eight ounce Shropshire Sirloin Steak served with tomato, sautéed onion and mushroom with hand cut chips was done to the liking and went down very well with the pepper sauce. The other options were Roasted Lamb Rump with minted new potatoes, The Huntsman Burger, Roast Vegetable and Five Bean Chilli, Gammon and Double Egg and Chips, Roasted Red Pepper Goat’s Cheese Risotto, Grilled Hake Fillet with Shellfish Risotto, Pan Fried Duck Breast, or Pork Three Ways (Belly Pork, Sausage and Pork Medallion), or finally, ham served cold with egg and chips. For dessert a Lemon Posset with sugar wafers and for me the Warm Belgian Waffle with vanilla ice cream – an unusual mixture but absolutely superb if you have room for it. Other options would have been the Vanilla and Honey Panacotta, Chocolate Fudge Cake, Sticky Toffee Sundae or Cheese and Biscuits. As you can see from the menu, there is something there for every taste and our table host told us that the menu changes subtlety daily. Prices for the various courses range from a fiver upwards for the starter and for the mains once again they average from £9 to up to £17.50 for a Sirloin Steak. Desserts are around the £6 mark. What a delight for locals to have the Huntsman back on the itinerary for a special night out. Well done to the whole team at the Huntsman for creating a wonderful dining experience once again. The Huntsman Wellington Road, Little Wenlock Telford, Shropshire, TF6 5BH Tel: 01952 503300 Web: www.thehuntsmanofl ittlewenlock.co.uk Email: enquiries@thehuntsmanofl ittlewenlock.co.uk www.wrekinnews.co.uk / 21
Page 1 and 2: ews Wrekin Keeping you informed and
Page 3 and 4: PRH Friends raise funds at Oakengat
Page 5 and 6: ARE YOU READY FOR A MONSTER DRIVER
Page 7 and 8: OTIUM HEALTH Exclusive Health Club
Page 9 and 10: ON YOUR PATCH… MALINSLEE STREET C
Page 11 and 12: HAWKSTONE PARK FOLLIES Call 01948 8
Page 13 and 14: “MY DOCTOR SUGGESTED I TRY IT. I
Page 15 and 16: MIRUJI - RELAX & FEEL BETTER “I
Page 17 and 18: Trust helps residents to set up the
Page 19: Care & Mobility Family run business
Page 23 and 24: WELLINGTON TOWN COUNCIL NEWS AND VI
Page 25 and 26: CHARLIE HAS grasped the opportunity
Page 27 and 28: DAVIES OF TELFORD Our Services - we
Page 29 and 30: Looking after vision Children’s v
Page 31 and 32: Lightening, Derek and the great A s
Page 33 and 34: Ableworld SUPERSTORE BEHIND FOCUS D
Page 35 and 36: JOANNE LOST SEVEN STONE AND GAINED
Page 37 and 38: Theatre Time INCLUDING Four pages o
Page 39 and 40: Top Hat brings the glamour of Holly
Page 41 and 42: VERTICAL BLINDS ROLLER BLINDS 2 for
Page 43 and 44: New for Sept 2014 TICKETS ARE £15
Page 45 and 46: otating. Centrifugal force trying t
Page 47 and 48: Wellington still have one eye on pr

Wrekin-News-184

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?