WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR GRANDAD

My name is Joe Harford, I was born in 1934 in Nechells Birmingham started school in 1939 just before WW2 started. When it did it wasn’t long before the bombing started.  We were living in the middle of major factories that were making munitions for the war, there was Hercules that used to make cycles, but now was making items for the war, a big gas works, a huge electricity generating station, a huge tar refinery, aeroplane factory making Spitfires, a factory making tanks, just to mention a few that were in sight of our homes. So it made sense to evacuate women and children because the area would be at the top of the list of targets for the Germans.

Coming from a large family we were split up. My two elder brothers joined the army, my oldest sister went to work in a factory, Mother and my two younger sisters were sent to Gloucester, my two elder sisters went to Smisby, my older brother Tom and I came to Hartshorne. My dad stayed at home.

All Aboard

70 years have past and it is hard to remember all the details, but I will try. The first thing I remember is being told that we were going to live in the country for a while because of the war, now some children were quite upset when the day came, I can only say that Tom and I were overjoyed about it all and couldn’t get on the Midland Red bus fast enough, we had the usual attaché case and a luggage tally in our coats with our name and address, a packet of sandwiches, I can’t remember the journey but I do remember the fresh country air after we left Birmingham.

Arrival

It was outside your Village School and it seemed that the whole village had turned out to see us arrive, the date I can’t be sure late 1939-40, I can check our school records at our next reunion. We were all stood on the pavement and people were choosing the children they wanted, even to this day I can remember. It went like this, it was one girl, then two girls, then one boy, then one boy and girl, then guess who was last, yup, two boys. These would all be brother and sister, then mixed boys and girls. This was told to me in later years, well my brother and me were the last ones and there were instructions that we were not to be split up.

Walking down the road from the direction of St Peters came Mrs Fish from Fishes farm in Woodville Rd, before she knew it she was ambushed by a Nun and a teacher. She hadn’t put her name forward to take in any children although they had a large house it was a very busy farm.

Poor Mrs Fish she went walking back up the road with an urchin clutching each hand. (Pic 9 ) We could not believe our luck; it was like a wonderland to see so many live farm animals. We got absorbed into the farm routine which was an early rise, we had jobs to do and then get our breakfast, maybe wonder round the farm usually getting in the way. (The farm hand didn’t like us). The milking parlour was a fascination. The farm was in Woodville Rd now called Dunmore Grange, so it wasn’t far to get to school.

School was a little awkward because our party was from St Josephs R.C. school, I think we had a Nun and a teacher, now the local kids didn’t quite take to us, so we had to run the gauntlet, we were let out 5 mins early then it was up to us to scoot home, it wasn’t long before we blended in with the local kids in the end. In fact one lad never went home his name is Maurice Hill, I did meet Maurice on one of my visits, sadly I hear he is rather poorly at the moment. His brother Ken was knocked over by a car as he ran from behind the school bus after a day trip, I think Ken went home after he came out of hospital, it was quite upsetting for us on the bus to see him lying in the road, happy to say he mended ok and I see him at our reunions.

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