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War Years
RECORDS AND TALES OF LIFE IN THE
VILLAGE DURING THE WAR
YEARS, COLLECTED FOR AN EXHIBITION
SHOWN IN THE OLD SCHOOL ON 30th JUNE
1985.SHILTON 1939-
1945 For Shilton, the six war
years, 1939-1945, formed a bridging
period, taking the village from
the relatively enclosed traditional
life of
the thirties into a time when
external, modern influences were to
intrude,
never again to disappear.
Foreigners arrived in large numbers.
German and
Italian prisoners of war worked on
farms; Irish labourers were employed
in
the construction of airfields, and
American servicemen were stationed on
nearby camps. Children from London
and Kent attended the village school.
Agriculture,which had been in a
sadly run-down state during the
depression,
was subsidised, and farmers were
directed as to the crops they should
grow.
In Shilton, as in the rest of
Great Britain, people gave their time
and
energy to fund-raising, the Home
Guard, and all the other activities
which
were organised to support the war
effort. Those Shilton people who
remain here, forty years later,
have been talking and recalling
incidents from those crucial years,
and from
these memories we have tried to
convey something of the flavour of
that
time. We hope that allowances will
be made for any omissions or
inaccuracies
in the story. - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - MEMORIES OF VILLAGE
LIFE Shilton is described-
as having been a close-knit
community during the war years,
bound by a common cause. Everyone was
very
busy,and many of the activities
were entirely new to the
village. Social life took on
entirely new dimensions, and became
more
varied in every way. A group of
women formed a concert party,
performing their songs and
sketches around the neighbourhood to
raise money
for various wartime causes. In
spite of the absence of transport,
except for
official purposes, people enjoyed
walking or cycling to Burford for a
film
in the Warwick Hall, or to Brize
Norton or Bury Barn, for parties given
by
the Forces. The R.A.F. would
decorate their hall on these occasions
with
coloured parachutes, and since
they were not subject to the severe
level of
civilian rationing, everyone had a
really good time. Shilton women
formed a knitting club, which entitled
them to
a special allocation of wool to
knit for the forces. Similarly,
membership
of the Pig Club gave pig owners
extra feed for their animals. Most of
the
villagers did keep a pig in those
days, and they were also very active
on
their allotments. Some housewives
took in washing for men at Broadwell,
and
Mrs Brooks remembers an Indian
cook coming down from the airfield to
buy
fresh vegetables. Coloured faces
were virtually unknown in Shilton
before
the war. Whist drives were a
popular way of raising money, and
were held weekly at the
"Reading room." In our
display we had letters of
thanks to Shilton from Mrs
Churchill and from the Duchess of
Marlborough,
for gifts to the Aid
to Russia Fund, and
.to Prisoners of War. Mrs
Gardiner had organised whist
drives for both these
causes. For War Weapons week, a
fete was held in Mrs Burton's field,
at Pump Close. The local M.P., Mr
Edmonson, opened the fete, and as well
as
the usual entertainments, there
were rides for the children on small
tanks
brought down by the R.A.F.
For the price of a 6d savings stamp,to
be
bought in the dining - room at Pump
Close, the children were taken through
the
pond, up Butts hill, and back by
the Manor. There was also an auction,
for
which Mrs Burton had made a small
goat's milk cheese, which went for the
amazing sum of £15. At the same
event the R.A.F. set up a field
kitchen, and
there was a fancy-dress dance in
the evening. Armine Grobecker
remembers
being dressed as the current
slogan, "Grow More
Potatoes." Shilton's
base for the Red Cross was with the
Skirvings at
The Lawns, where the stretcher and
other equipment was kept. Mrs Burton
was
in charge of the stretcher-party,
and had to attend lectures in Burford
by
Dr Graham. They were told that,
should they need a Thomas splint for a
fracture, they would have to cycle
to Woodstock or Banbury to get one!
There are a number of
tales told of Mrs Burton, whose
husband, Commander Burton was a
P.O.W. in the Far East. She took
casual work
on neighbouring farms, and helped
the Bastons and Jimmy Bell at
threshing
time, being paid the going
rate of 92d an hour. there was a steam
threshing
machine which went from farm to
farm, drawing its water from the pond.
Then,
on Saturdays, Mrs Burton
would prepare meatless meals at 6d
each for those
that wanted them. One airman was
married only hours before the
Broadwell
airfield was sealed off on
preparation for D-Day. He took his
bride to Mrs
Burton, who gave her a home at
Pump Close for as long as he remained
on the
base; and also helped her to find
a spot in the perimeter fence where
she
could make contact with her
husband. Mrs Skirving, in her
capacity of local W.V.S.
representative, was responsible
for a special weekly allocation of
meat
pies, for agricultural workers.
These were made at nearby bakeries,
and
delivered to The Lawns, where they
were collected by those entitled to
receive them. Rations were also
supplemented by the shooting of
rabbits,
pigeons, etc: Many people kept
pigs and chickens, though these
sometimes got
stolen. The blame for this seems
to have fallen on the
Irish. The "Rose and
Crown", in all its' long
existence, had
probably never been so busy.
Everyone remembers the noisy and
sometimes
violent scenes which became common
in the village with the arrival of the
Irish workers. Americans, too,
were often involved in the fights
which
regularly threatened the windows
of the Trinder's cottage. Beer
supplies did
not last the week, however, so
there must have been some more
peaceful
evenings. Mrs Bowles was working
at "The Chequers" in Brize
Norton, and when
supplies ran out there, young
people would walk or cycle over to
Shilton in
search of a drink; bringing jam-
jars, which took the place of
glasses. On Wimpey pay-days the
Post Office was besieged by Irish
workmen, telegraphing money to
their families in Ireland. The queue
stretched down the garden path and
into the road, and Joyce Read and her
father had to work till late at
night, wiring off all the orders. At
the
start of the war the Post Office
was in a part of what is now Barn
Cottage.
Then it was moved up near the
crossroads, where it served as a small
shop as
well as post-office. It was during
the war that permission was first
given for
marriages to take place in Shilton
Baptist Chapel. The first to be
married
there were Hilda and Harold Hunt,
followed soon afterwards by Jack and
Joyce
Read. On Sundays a good number of
R.A.F. men helped to fill the chapel,
and
they would be welcomed back to tea
with the Reads, who enjoyed contact
with
some of thes men for many
years. _
CHILDREN AND THE
VILLAGE SCHOOL Shilton
school was the place from which
everyone collected
their gasmasks a week or two
before the outbreak of war.
s About a dozen children
were billetted in Shilton as
evacuees. There were several girls
from a school in Ashford, Kent, and
Mrs
Skirviug had Lily and Albert from
Hoxton. Ernest Payne also came from
London, and stayed for
about two years, first with Mrs
Bell at the Downs, and then, when
she was unwell, with Mrs Read.
During that time Ernest only saw his
mother
once. Mrs Skirving as the local
W.V.S. representative, was responsible
for
billetting
arrangements. The first special issue
of free milk for chidren was
distributed through the schools,
with 3 pint for each child. Mrs Bell
cooked
special things to supplement the
children's diet at lunch time. There
were
little pots of custard at 2d each,
and jugs of cocoa were kept warm on
the
stove. On the afternoon when the
bomb was dropped at Brize Norton,
Mrs Pearson quickly got all the
children under the tables for
safety. When orange juice became
unobtainable as a source of
vitamins for issuing to mothers of
pre-school children, rose-hip juice
was
made to take its place. Chidren
took a big part in collecting hips
from the
hedgerows, and also in salvaging
waste paper. The nearest Welfare
Clinic was at the surgery at the
bottom
of Burford hill, so mothers had a
long walk with their prams to see the
doctor and to collect their cod-
liver oil, etc. FARMING For the
farmers, their livelihood was more
secure than it
had been during the years of the
depression, with a guaranteed market
and
price for all that they could
produce. However,they now had to grow
crops
according to orders from the
Ministry, and the age of form-filling
had
arrived. In order to obtain
allocations of foodstuffs etc., they
had to
comply with the system, and deal
with the paperwork. In place of
men who had been called up for the
armed forces,
farmers could employ Land Army
girls, and prisoners of war. Millie
Hunt was
a Land Girl, working on her
father's farm, and there were a number
of others
in the area,'some of them living
in a hostel, and being sent to
wherever
they were needed, under the
direction of Miss Gray, in
Burford. Some Italian P.O.W.s
worked for Mr Bell. They wore brown
uniforms with yellow and green
circular patches. These Italians lived
in a
but that they built for themselves
out of packing cases, with a thatched
roof. It stood in a field at the
Downs for years, and was always
known as the "Italian Hut'.'
A German P.O.W. working for Jack
Gardner made
wooden toys, and gave Elizabeth
Read a pecking chiken. Another German
mended
clocks in his spare time. The
Bastons remember their P.O.W.s as
being very good
workers, who got on well with
everyone. Jack Gardner has a good
story about "Tottenham
Pudding".
This was a concoction made from
hotel left-overs. It arrived in a
weekly
delivery, loaded in large bins,
and was a valuable addition to feed
for
livestock. There would often be
strange objects lodged in this
mixture, such
as spoons, forks, and on one
occasion they found a jersey! This was
washed
several times, and worn, for years
it is said, perhaps by Joe
Trinder. THE HOME
GUARD The Shilton Home Guard
contingent numbered about twenty-two
men, with Lieut. J.F.Bell and
Sergt. Jack Gardner in charge. At
first they
were very badly equipped, with one
gun between six men, supplemented by
pitchforks and pickaxe handles.
Their rifle range for practise was in
Windmill field, down at the
"Bottoms", and the spot
where the bank was cut
out for this purpose can still be
seen. 'Ammunition was kept in
specially-built
but in the Skirving's meadow, and
this also still remains. There were
two look-out posts which had to be
manned at
night. One was a sort of crow's
nest, built onto a barn up at Sturt
Farm,
and the other was at Shilton
Downs. Sitting up at night in a garage
at the
Downs, the men played cards, and
made tea on a paraffin stove. On one
occasion they fell asleep, and the
stove caught fire, blackening the
whole
place. The owner of the garage was
Mr Bell, who farmed Shilton Downs, and
who was also the unit commander,
so great efforts were put into
scrubbing
the place down, to try and conceal
what had happened. The village
units came under the command of area
headquarters at Filkins, where Mr
Skirving was based, under Bertram
Mitford.
They organised local manoeuvres,
such as Shilton versus Swinbrook, when
one
side would have to camouflage
themselves, to creep up and infiltrate
the
other's territory. LOCAL DEFENCE
MEASURES There was a pill-box near
Stonelands, where flares were lit,
to mislead enemy planes searching
for Brize-Norton. There were also
several
road blocks, made from telegraph
poles which, with hinges and wheels,
could
be swung into place if
needed. The "ringing of
church bells was forbidden during the
war,
but Mrs Burton was appointed to
toll them to warn everybody in the
event of
an invasion. Ernest Lanchbury had
planted yellow crocuses on his land,
just
above the "Dip". They
were in the form of a sign, saying
"SHILTON", with an
arrow pointing down into the
village. When in flower, these had to
be
covered over with damp
sacking. Dick Phillips constructed
a special air raid shelter for his
cat. The Parish Council considered
whether to apply for a public air-raid
shelter, but decided against
it. - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ARMED ACTIVITIES IN THE
SHILTON AREA During the early years of
the war the main contact with the
armed forces was via the Brize
Norton airfield, an R.A.F. base which
had
been built a year or two before
the war started, to be used for
training.
There was also a unit of the
King's Own Scottish Borderers at Bury
Barns,
outside Burford. Then, in
preparation for the D-Day landings,
the Broadwell
airfield, now known as the
"old airfield", was planned,
built, and manned in
what sees an amazingly short time.
R.A.F.
Broadwell An opening-up party of 70
arrived on 15th November 1943. The
land required for the runways was
farmed by the Gardiner family, and by
the
Bastons. The requisition order
came immediately, and without warning.
There
was no time to raise what- was
left of the potato crop, and much of
the best land was lost for ever by
the farmers. 'Work began immediately,
with a force of largely Irish
labour being employed by Wimpey's
to prepare the runways and
accommodation.
Transport Command took control on
24th January 1944, and an advance
party
arrived on Februarv 2nd. The first
Dakotas were flown in a few days
later,
followed by more, bringing Horsa
gliders. Broadwell had a threefold
role: (a) Delivery of airborne
forces and supplies. (b) Transport
runs to the Continent. (c) Retrieval
of wounded troops. By the end
of February, 220 commissioned, and
1400
non-commissioned men had arrived.
There were several sorties during
April to
drop leaflets over France, and'in
May there were visits by King George
VI,
and by Churchill, to watch
exercises. They saw troop-carriers
taking off, to
drop parachutists on Salisbury
Plain. On June 2nd the
station was sealed off. Outgoing mail
was
impounded, and all leave
cancelled; for Broadwell was the
starting point for
1000 troops leaving to parachute
into Normandy on June 5th. They were
followed the next day by Horsa
gliders with more troops, and then by
Dakotas
dropping supplies. During the
following weeks aircraft left
Broadwell with
re-inforcements, bringing back
casualties on their return journeys.
American
wounded were taken to Bradwell
Grove, newly constructed as a U.S.A.F.
hospital, while the British were
dispersed to other centres for
treatment.
Meanwhile, Harry Gardiner was
issued with a special pass "to
tend a foal",
that was being reared within the
prohibited zone. One Sunday
morning in mid September, 47 Dakotas
took off,
each towing a Horsa. The gliders
were loaded with troops, jeeps,
trailers,
cycles, handcarts, and anti-tank
guns. As they moved towards the East
coast
they were to converge with similar
flights, coming from all directions,
so
that the sky seemed filled
with the sight and sound of planes,
all on
their way to Arnhem, one of the
greatest scenes of disaster for the
Allies. Broadwell
continued to operate as a transport
base until the
end of 1946, and was finally
closed in March,1947. Cracked runways,
a water
tower, and a few derelict
buildings are all that remains thirty-
eight years
later. Recollections of the
effects of War
Activities When the Broadwell
airfield was closed off, Osmond
Baston,
who was living in a but on the
enclosed area, was cut off for-days.
Harry
Gardiner was issued with a pass
which was inscribed "to feed a
foal". Joyce Read was in the
garden one afternoon, watching two
planes circling overhead, when she
noticed that they bore Swastikas. She
dashed indoors, from where she
heard the thud of bombs falling at
Brize
Norton. A hangar had
been hit, destroying about.
fifty aircraft. After this incident
there was a government order for
planes to be scattered when on the
ground. Two landmines were
dropped on Swinbrook, shaking windows
all
over Shilton. Some incendiaries
fell up the Lanes road, thought to
have been
dropped by planes returning from
the raid on Coventry, and a British
plane
crashed near Stonelands, killing
the pilot. Mrs Brewis Mrs Burton,
and other ladies went to Bradwell_
Grove, and to the Casualty
Clearing Station on the base, to help
the wounded
with their mail - WHEN THE
WAR WAS OVER. The church
bells rang. Flags were hung out to
welcome men returning from the
Services. In January 1945 a public
meeting was held at which it was
agreed to collect money for a
Welcome Home Fund. This was "To
raise a sum of
money so that each member of the
forces from Shilton may be presented
with a
gift of money as a token of
appreciation from the village on
arrival home
after the war". This led to
yet more whist drives, raffles,
collections,
and, on May 21st, a Fete. The
total sum raised was £264.13s 7d.. a
really
large amount when one adjusts for
the massive inflation that has taken
place
since that time. Each person was
to receive a basic £10 plus an extra
sum,
proportionate to the length of
service. It was delivered personally
by Lt. Col.Brewis and Mr
Skirving on behalf of the parish, and
at the same time words of advice
were given concerning the importance
of
using the money wisely. When the
Americans moved out of Bradwell Grove,
it
was taken over for a time by
the Royal Marines School of
Music. A great problem for
Shilton at the end of the war was the
acute shortage of housing. As the
Broadwell airfield was gradually run
down,
finally closing in 1947, huts
became vacant, and these were quickly
taken
over by young couples,
unable to find anywhere else to live.
It was not
until 1949 that the first six co
uncil houses in West End were
completed. A PERSONAL
MEMOIR. Whilst I did not reside
in Shilton during the war years, I
had been to Shilton school for
several years, leaving in 1938, and I
still
spent a good deal of time in the
village until I moved in
1941 It would be fair to say,
that in the 1930s Shilton was a
very quiet, close-knit community,
so that it was never involved in
action
seen in some areas of the British
Isles. Any change in the way of life
was
very noticeable, none more so than
the regular departure of the younger
men
into the forces. Several of the
younger lads had to abandon their
Scouting,
but soon became members of 1315
Burford squadron of the Air Training
Corps.
This entailed cycling to Burford
two nights per week and sometimes
Sunday
morning as well. At the formation
of the L.D.V, (later the Home-Guard),
some
of the elder men and others not
yet in the forces responded to form a
local
unit, with a 'Guard Post', if I
recall correctly, at Shilton
Downs. The arrival of
some 'young ladies', evacuated from a
girl's
school at Ashford, caused some
heart fluttering among the local
youths. Unfortunately their stay
seemed very brief. The first
bombing of R.A.F. Brize Norton caused
some worry,
as everyone then realised what
could develop as the war progressed.
Luckily
only two or three more local raids
occurred, and a land mine dropped near
Swirbrook, which probably caused
more talk than damage. Few people in
the village at that time had a motor
vehicle;
relying mainly on Pedal
cycles, so travel was little
changed,
although for a while a road block
was in position on the Burford-
Carterton
road. The soldiers manning this
block lived in tents at the back of
the
Manor. • The building, equipping
and manning of R,A.F. Broadwell
must have had a profound effect on
the village, but by this time I had
myself joined the R.A.F., and am
therefore unaware of the
details. Regretfully my friend
Arthur Warbey did not survive the war,
killed in an aircraft crash in
1945. The only name to be added to the
memorial for 1939-
1945. The wheel did turn
something of a circle for me, as on
getting married in 1948, I
returned to Shilton to live in one of
the
converted Nissen huts for about
two years. Despite moving away again,
my
wife and myself remain regular
visitors to this delightful
village. N.B. Should any
important detail have been overlooked
or
not agree with the reader's
recollections, I can only apologise.
Forty plus
years do tend to dim the
memory. ' .............We are very
grateful for this contribution,
sent anonymously. ENTRIES IN
THE PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES l, Annual Parish Meeting
held in Schoolroom on March 20th
1940: A letter was read from
the Witney R.D.C., asking for
co-operation in collection of
waste paper on the village, it was
reported
however that the Boy Scouts
were already doing this work and the
letter was
left on the table. 2. Parish
council-Meeting held in Library om Nov
6th 1940: The question of a public
air raid shelter was discussed and
it was decided not to apply for
one at the present time. 3. Annual
Parish Meeting held at the Post Office
on April
16th 1941:- It was
brought to the notice of the council
that no stirrup
pump was available for the use of
the village to deal with any fire
bombs that might fall in the
village and after discussion it was
proposed by
Mr G. Eustace, and seconded by
Mr J,E.Osborne that the clerk should
buy one and
for the present it would be
kept at the residence of the chairman
Mr
R.W.Skirving in a room that it would
be available at any time.
Carried. 4. Annual Parish Meeting
held at the Lawns Shilton on Tues
31st March 1942: A discussion,
on Waste Paper and other salvage was
opened
and it was agreed that this be
continued at the next meeting of the
Parish Council. 5. Annual
Parish Council Meeting held at the
Lawns on April
9th 1943: A discussion arose re
salvage and Mr Skirving the local.
representative of W.R.D.C.
was asked to press that council to
collect more
frequently in the
village. 6. Annual Parish Council
Meeting held at Lawns Wed April
12th 1944: Mr Skirving reported that
Witney R.D.C. housing committee
had allotted six cottages
for Shilton to be built as soon as
possible at
end of war. Applications
to be made to him for
consideration. 7. Parish Council meeting
held in the Vicarage 27th Nov
1946: Resolved that permission
be granted the Welcome Home
Committee to inscribe the
names of the fallen during the 1939-
1945
conflict on the Village War
Memorial. SHILTON PEOPLE SERVING IN
THE FORCES
DURING WORLD WAR
II Mrs DUNSFORD (ADAMS),
A.T.S. ALFRED BROOKS,
R.E.M.E. CMDR. BURTON, R.N.
Japanese P.O.W. MAX PHILLIPS.
THE SHARPSHOOTERS. ALLENBY
PHILLIPS, COMMANDOS, PARATROOPERS
& S.A.S. ROGER ADAMS,
R.A.S.C. RON BOND, ARMY. (Regiment
not known) REG HUNT,
R.E.M.E. JACK READ, ROYAL
NAVY. RON JAMES, ROYAL
NAVY. ARTHUR WARBEY, ROYAL AIR
FORCE. LESLIE TRINDER,(brother
of Arthur), ROYAL
ENGINEERS. SHURAK EDWARDS, ROYAL
ARTILLERY, Japanese P.O.W. These men
lost their lives in service.
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