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Amersham ---- News, Views & Information |
There are many other places in Britain which had a more
notable time during World War II, but the War obviously had an impact on
Amersham, perhaps the most lasting impacts being the expansion of the hospital
and the creation of the Radiochemical Centre.
The growth of
Amersham-on-the-Hill during the 1930s meant there were many new houses for
people to move into. A lot of the people that moved into the houses came from
London. During the 1930s some moved just to leave the crowded city, but others
decided that with the possibility of war a move from Central London would be a
wise move. When World War II broke out, more people moved out to towns like
Amersham, either buying property or staying with relatives. A number of
children were also evacuated either officially or unofficially to relatives.
Local schools gained extra pupils transferred out from London schools.
Dr. Challoners school would have been one of the many local
schools to gain extra children from families moving out of
London
Doris Lediard, now from Oregon recalls "I was one of many school children who were evacuated from London at the beginning of the War. We were billeted in Chesham and I rode the bus to classes at the Amersham (Challoners ed?) Grammar School. Us girls from the Chiswick County School shared the school with the Grammar School pupils, they attended in the mornings and we went in the afternoons and I think on Saturday mornings also. During the mornings our school packed into a Scout Hut in the woods to do our "prep". It stands out as one of my vivid memories, as to get to the hut we had to go by a soldier who checked our identities. Also the hut did not have any heat and many mornings the ink was frozen in the ink wells, we were so cold that we worked in our overcoats and hats. I especially remember a restaurant in the town whose kind owner allowed us "evacuees" to sit in the warm and eat our sandwiches, (it felt like heaven to us frozen girls)."
An interesting story concerns the creation of the Henry
Allen Nursery School. In the early 1940s, there became a need for the provision
of nursery places for the pre-school age children of Amersham and the
surrounding area. Many local women were employed in war work (Amersham Prints
in The Maltings, had been taken over to manufacture barrage balloons and The
Cartwheel in London Road made radios). In 1941, before the bombing of Pearl
Harbour which resulted in America entering the Second World War, Californian
subscribers to the American Save the Children Federation provided the money
required to build a Nursery as a way of aiding the British war effort without
becoming involved militarily. The President of the Federation was Governor
Henry J Allen of Wichita, Kansas. In 1941 he travelled to Amersham to turn the
first spadeful of earth that marked the beginnings of the Nursery. The site
chosen was a piece of farmland adjoining Mitchell Walk, which at that time was
an unmade road (remaining so until 1960) with only one house. On 9 February
1942 Henry Allen Nursery opened its doors for the first time with places for
forty children aged two to five, although occasionally babies as young as
eighteen months were admitted if their mothers work was essential to the war.
The two classrooms were named after the Royal princesses; the old children were
in Elizabeth Room (now Purple Class) and the younger ones in Margaret Room (now
Red Class). (This information has been kindly supplied by the Henry Allen
Nursery School, for further information see the School's web site
here
Henry Allen Nursery School (Picture Courtesy of Henry Allen
Nursery School)
Just like other places in Britain, defence preparations
were put in place. Sand bags arrived along with gas masks. Homes installed air
raid shelters in their gardens, evidence of these can still be found in some
gardens in Amersham where the lawn rises to go over an abandoned shelter. Other
houses installed blast walls in front of the "french windows" which were a
feature of many of the 1930s houses.
Pete
Wood, now from Southern California, recalls his memories of Amersham
during the war -
"My father was mobilised on September 1st 1939 so my
mother and her 2 children (I was 5) went to her parents home in Amersham. The
address was then 47 Woodside Road which was later re-numbered to 115 and we
lived there until Dad returned in 1945.
Woodside Road in the 1930s - Picture
Courtesy of Pete Wood
"We then bought a little house at
46 Orchard Lane and I lived there until I was married in 1957. We moved in 1960
to California where we still reside. I still remember the incendiary raid of
1941. The little bombs were popping all around us and I found a live one next
morning in King George V Playing Fields, which backed onto my garden. The night
sky was as bright as day but fortunately no house fires were started.
"It was also quite common to see Spitfires flying low over Amersham
chasing Nazi aircraft - truly memorable events in the life of a young boy
growing up in wartime. The air raid siren outside Dr. Farquarson's house at
Sycamore Corner always seemed to go off after the aircraft were long
gone!
"The citizens of Amersham did their bit too and purchased
a submarine for the Royal Navy. There was a huge "thermometer" outside the bank
at Oakfield Corner showing the weekly totals of peoples' donations.
"On the night of VE day someone "found" 20 or 30 military signal
rockets and let them off on the vacant lot that later became the post office on
Hill Avenue - an awesome sight for a 10 year old boy! Even after all this time
there is a part of me which never left Amersham and I have a lot of fond
memories."
(The air raid siren Pete refers to above was used after
the War to call out the retained firemen. The siren brought back many memories
for the residents and continued in use into the 1970s. If the wind was blowing
in the right direction you could also here the siren in Chesham).
Frank Phillipson has
researched an incident that occurred in Little Chalfont. In the book "Raiders
Overhead" by Stephen Flower (about air raids on the Walton and Weybridge area
of Surrey) reference is made to a Halifax bomber being accidentally shot down
by British anti- aircraft guns sited near Weybridge and Slough on 24th March
1944. The aircraft crashed at Lodge Farm, south-east of Little Chalfont (the
farm is south of the railway and east of Lodge Lane). A database of bomber
losses reveals the following details :-
Type:- Handley Page Halifax
II (Merlin engines) Serial No.JD317
Unit:- 1659 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit
i.e. training crews to fly four engine heavy bombers).
Operation:-
Diversionary attack on occupied France west of Paris.
Date:- 24th March
1944
Airborne at 19:22hrs from RAF Topcliffe the Halifax was part of a
diversionary force made up of 147 older bombers from training units. The
diversion was in support of the Main Force bomber operation against Berlin of
811 aircraft.
Halifax JD317 steered for an area west of Paris but, on
the return leg to base, the aircraft strayed into the London Defence Zone and
was shot down at 23:00hrs by AA fire. It crashed in flames at Lodge Farm,
Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire killing the pilot F/O MS Little RCAF who is
buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery. Three injured members of crew were
admitted to hospitals at Amersham and Watford suffering from sprains and
shock:- P/O J.S.Beresford RCAF, Sgt J.Mackenzie RCAF, Sgt N.E.Cowan RCAF.
Further research reveals there was an unusually strong northerly wind
which blew the Halifax over 100 miles off course over the London Zone. The
pilot was praised for staying at the controls of his aircraft steering it away
from "a village" and saving his crew. It appears the Halifax did not identify
itself to the London Defence Zone, hence the error in shooting it down.
Malcolm Flack from Amersham remembers
"I recall seeing some sort of plane (I have no idea what type etc.) stuck in
the trees in Lodge Lane Little Chalfont. The exact location was after you go
under the railway bridge in Lodge Lane from the Amersham-Rickmansworth Road and
at the bend in the road after the dip, it was on the left just before Long Walk
turning."
Pete Wood recalls -
"In 1943 (I think), a Lancaster bomber crash landed at night in a field
bordering Stony Lane. The next morning, I furiously cycled over there and sure
enough there was the Lancaster with its wheels in mud up to the axles and
missing the left wing-tip. The pilot had done an amazing job in landing it, but
two oak trees at the edge of the field were a little closer together than the
wing span. When I got there, the aircrew had already been picked up and the
aircraft was being guarded by an RAF corporal. I found the left landing light
some distance away and persuaded the corporal to let me have it. The reflector
was crushed by the impact but the bulb with a filament that looked like a gate
spring still worked and I kept it for many years.
David Hawley writes "I wonder if any of
your site visitors were in the the Black Horse Primary School sports field the
day that a two engined German plane flew over it with an airman on its wing. It
crash landed in a field at Raans Farm and after school we went and saw it and
by this time the Home Guard were there with the German airmen."
Richard Ayres now from Staffordshire
recalls that one of the gliders from the force that set out for Arnhem in 1944
came down in Rogers Wood Field, to the south of the River Misbourne.
David Hawley adds "I also remember the
glider incident as myself, plus the Brackley brothers went to see it. I
remember the soldiers were not very happy, they did not know then how lucky
they had been. I also witnessed from the top of Stanley Hill the recovery of
the Glider by a Wellington aircraft from a hook line that had been
erected."
Pete Wood continues - "I also recall a Sunday morning in the spring of 1944, a flying bomb (Doodle Bug) landed in Chestnut Close (this may have been Chestnut Lane - see below - Ed.) and demolished two houses and killed several people. I still remember my stark terror as I stood in my grandparents house in Woodside Road hearing the pulse jet cut out and the swishing sound as the bomb plummeted to earth not knowing if it was the last few seconds of my life. The massive explosion shook the house but fortunately no windows were broken. Perhaps some more of your readers have recollections of these events."
Pete Wood has supplied the following pictures
-
1411 Squadron at Dr. Challoners, Officers of 1411 Squadron,
Dried
Milk display and VE Day Parade in Chesham
See here for all
of Pete's pictures with full descriptions
Malcolm Flack from
Amersham also remembers "Being born in Amersham in White Lion
Road a year before the commencement of the War, I can recall as a child seeing
what I now understand was a "Doodle Bug" flying in a westerly direction towards
the Chesham Bois area and subsequently hearing a loud explosion. My family
decided later that day (a Sunday, I believe) to take a stroll in that
direction. We went along Parkfield Avenue to the end at the junction with
Chestnut Lane, where straight in front of us behind the hedgerows were the
remains of what was a fair sized detached property which had been destroyed by
that deadly object. Nothing stood more than a metre high as far as we could
see."
Since receiving the above information, I have been
advised that the first "Doodle Bugs" were not launched until June 1944, spring
could be described as June, but memories of over 60 years ago should allow for
this. There has also been a suggesting that no flying bombs landed north of
London. My research on this matter definitely reveals there was a large
explosion which destroyed a house in Chestnut Lane. Whether it was a V1 is less
clear, it appears they did land north of London and it also appears much dis
information was given out to try and confuse the Germans on the success or
otherwise of their attacks. If anyone can provide any more details on this
incident, I would be very grateful. I am indebted to Frank Phillipson who has contacted me and writes
"... I have found from "The Defence of the UK" by Basil Collier IWM 1957,
that 27 flying bombs (V1s) landed in Bucks and that 2 V2s landed in Bucks
during February 1945. This is backed up from information from the Centre for
Bucks Studies in Aylesbury."
Mike Smith
from Chesham Bois has supplied further information about the
bombings in Amersham. "Inspired by your website I have been looking up the
records (ARP reports) at the Centre for Buckinghamshire studies.
"I
believe there were probably four flying bombs in the Amersham area, including
the following three specific incidents:
"The first of these was the
one in Chestnut Lane, which fell at 10.52 or 10.54 am on 2nd July 1944. The
report says 'Red Lodge and Bungalow (part of the same property?) completely
demolished. Northcott partly demolished. The Leys severely damaged. Two other
houses badly damaged. Many houses and shops in Bois Lane, Chestnut Lane,
Woodside Avenue and Sycamore Road suffered severe damage.'
"Another
report says '1 house completely demolished (5 yds away from Flying Bomb) 4
houses partly demolished (10 and 55 yds away) 135 houses damaged (ceilings,
roofs, windows) (within 200 yds radius)'.
"Casualties were 'Killed 1
male 1 female. Admitted to Amersham Emergency Hospital 3 males 10 females 1
child. Other minor casualties, chiefly cuts from glass'.
"The next was
at 17.55 on 5 July 1944 at Windmill Plantation, Weedon Hill Wood, Amersham. The
report says '12 houses within a radius of 400 yds (badly damaged?). Damage to
ceilings, tiles and glazing to other houses within a 1/2 mile radius'.
"The third was on 16 August 1944, 1/2 mile SE of Ley Hill Common. This seems to
have been on open ground as no damage was reported."
David Hawley, now from Aylesbury has
contacted me and writes "I was born in 1935 at 26 The Meadows and have a few
memories of events I witnessed during World War 2. I can confirm that a Doodle
Bug did in fact land in Chestnut Lane. I was standing on a footpath opposite
No. 20 The Meadows where the Brackley family lived and was with an evacuee
named Louis Kerner who lived at No 20. We both heard the noise of the Bug as it
passed over The Meadows and saw it just before its engine stopped then saw it
start to fall, at this Louis ran into his house and I ran to tell my Father and
as I was going through our Back door there was a loud explosion. My Father and
I could see a plume of smoke, he then took hold of my hand and we went to the
end of our garden and over the fence into his railway allotment, up the bank
and over the railway and through a hole in the fence and then along the edge of
the cricket ground down to, and over, Woodside Road up Mitchell Walk into
Plantation road into New Road and then into Chestnut Lane. The first thing we
saw was the side of one house which had been damaged and a couple standing by a
cooker outside the house. All they said to my Father was 'we've lost our Sunday
Dinner'. We carried on until we saw the house or bungalow that had been
virtually flattened, other houses were damaged but my Father said 'this is
where it landed' "
Nigel Woof from Chalfont St.
Giles writes "two houses in Pollards Wood - Pollards Park House
and Pollardswood Grange - (near the site of the Amersham plc site today) were
requisitioned in 1941 and became 'Special Training School XX' (i.e. number 20)
of the Special Operations Executive, better known as SOE and recently
popularised by the Sebastian Faulks novel 'Charlotte Gray' and the film of the
same name.
STS20 was apparently used to train Polish section SOE
agents in clandestine operations. The Polish SOEs activities included operation
WILDHORN in 1944 and '45 in which British / Polish aircraft were covertly
landed to bring out key Polish underground / resistance leaders and return them
to England. In one of these missions in July 1944 a captured V2 rocket was also
apparently brought out.
I know of no accounts by local residents of
the goings-on in Pollards Wood during the war, but presumably many suspected
there was something 'hush-hush' happening there! Would be fascinating to know
if anyone remembers."
For details of Operation Wildhorn, see
www.operationwildhorn.com
Lola Richards (nee Matto) now
from Canada remembers on her web site
here (which
includes pictures) her memories of the War in Chesham Bois. "The worst part
were the Air Raids. My Dad constructed an Air Raid shelter in the house, made
from a heavy carpentry bench, with sheets of metal encasing the sides. We
crawled into the shelter from one end and had blankets and pillows in there as
we often had to hide for quite a while. The only problem was, as soon as the
siren sounded, our 3 large Airedales would dash for the shelter and get in
before us! We would listen to the planes going overhead and got to know by the
sound of them whether they were 'Ours' or 'Theirs'. Then we would hear the
'buzzbombs' going over, and pray that the noise would continue. For when it cut
off, that was when the bomb would fall. Even now, when I hear the E.M.O. siren,
I get a sinking in my stomach, as it sounds just like the Air Raid sirens used
to. You never forget something like that. For light, we had a lantern covered
with green baize, and I can still recall the smell of the warm cloth. Of course
black-outs were in effect so we couldn't have much light, even tucked away in
the shelter. As a child I was only aware of feeling safe and protected in our
hide-away. When the All Clear siren sounded, it felt so wonderful! We would all
pile out and my Mum would go and put the kettle on to make a cup of tea!.
"However, one night it was different. Shortly after an especially scary
raid, my Mum was alarmed by the Bomb Disposal Squad leader pounding on our door
and telling us to evacuate the house quickly. Evidently, they knew that one
bomb had dropped but had not exploded yet! My Mum always remembered wrapping me
up (I guess I was about 3 years old then) and taking me outside to go to a
neighbour's house, Mrs. Honour who lived on Woodside Avenue. Our house was
situated right across the Chess Valley from Bovingdon Aerodrome and that was a
prime target for bombs. A German bomber had dropped a 'stick' of six bombs
aimed at Bovingdon, but unfortunately for us, his aim was a little off - and
they came across the valley dropping in a line up our side. One was a direct
hit on the goat shed at the far end of our property - the poor goat never knew
what hit him! The next one fell in our back lawn - only yards away from where
my Mum and I were hiding in our home-made shelter. Not only did it land there,
but it turned underground and tunnelled beneath the house......but did not
explode!
Sign outside Lola's Chesham Bois
house
picture courtesy of Lola Richards
"After evacuating us, the Bomb Disposal Squad dug down to defuse and extricate
the bomb. I have the greatest admiration for those brave men! We were not
allowed back home officially, but my Mum sneaked back to feed the rabbits and
chickens, and managed to get some photos of the crew working. After the crisis
was over she made them all a cup of tea, of course!" The above episode may
be the one referred to below in the second extract from the Surrey history
Centre.
Referring to the bombs landing on King George V playing field mentioned above David Hawley adds "I note that the description of the Incendiary bombs was accurate except that a house did get hit, our house, and if it was not for the bravery of my brother Ray who was ahead of us going up the stairs to bed, our house would have caught fire. The bomb when it came through our roof landed on the floor of our large bedroom on its fin [the mark was on the lino for many years] and it bounced onto a marble topped dressing table. Ray entered the room and using my eldest brothers best grey flannels, scooped up the flaming bomb and ran down the stairs shouting 'open the door' and he threw it into our front garden. His photo appeared in a national paper I think it was The Sketch but I am not sure."
Frank Phillipson has passed me details of some research he has doe at the National Archives. He has found records which details some of the bombing in the Amersham area. Some of the details are as follows
27 September 1940 - 6 bombs landed in Amersham Common, 5 of the bombs
were 50kg, covering an area of about half a mile. The assumed target was the
railway station. Most landed on open ground, some in fields and one damaged a
footpath and sewer cover. Apart from craters, no other property was
damaged.
18 October 1940 - 1 bomb landed in Chesham Bois. No casualties,
the bomb landed 14 feet from a bungalow which was "badly shaken".
15
November 1940 - 10 50kg bombs landed in the Coleshill area. No casualties and
open land or farm land hit
The detail shown on the Archive records is
quite extensive, with each bomb location noted with details of impact and
damage caused.
Further research undertaken by Frank
Phillipson has revealed some intersting records about events in the
Amersham area. The Southern Regional Civil Defence area included Bucks and
situation reports viewed at the at the Surrey History Centre (Surrey was in the
same Region as Bucks until March 1941) provide a record of evenets.
 Report from 18th October 1940
Reproduced
with permission from
The
Surrey History Centre |
 Report from 29th October 1940 Reproduced with permission from The Surrey History Centre |
 Report from 24th November 1940 Reproduced with permission from The Surrey History Centre |
 Report from 11th December 1940 Reproduced with permission from The Surrey History Centre |
 Report from 30th January 1941 Reproduced with permission from The Surrey History Centre |
 Report from 17th February 1941 Reproduced with permission from The Surrey History Centre |
 Report from 26th February 1941 Reproduced with permission from The Surrey History Centre |
Shardeloes
Picture Courtesy of Bridget Clarke
During World War II Shardeloes, on the outskirts of the Old Town, was converted into a maternity hospital for people from London to come out to the countryside to have their children, over 5200 children were born there by the time it closed in 1948. I receive quite a few mails from people born at Shardeloes. Some have posted on the Amersham Forum asking for others to contact them.
By the outbreak of War, The Work House in Whielden Street had divided into The Amersham Public Assistance Institute and St. Mary's Hospital. Part of the site was then commandeered to become an "Emergency Services Hospital" serving the military and civilians. "Temporary" buildings were erected to form wards and operating theatres in 1939/40. They were built by Canadian Forces and these temporary buildings remained in use until the end of the 1990s. There were 280 beds in the temporary hospital and 138 in the old work house part. St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington assisted in the running of the hospital. (Thanks to the Amersham Society for information) See the Amersham Hospital page here for more details
In the book "Yesterday's Town: Amersham" by Nicholas
Salmon & Clive Birch - Copyright 1991, ISBN 0 86023 486 X it states that
the Amersham section of the territorial Army joined with other sections to form
the 1st Bucks Battalion. Amersham had first aid posts set up at the ARP Centre,
Sycamore Road, While Lion Road. Elmodesham House in the High Street became the
area head quarters for defence.
Hervines Park / Hervines
Woods
Hervines Park and Shardeloes Park were converted for
farm use and the new "greens" in the newly built Woodside and Highfield Closes
were turned into allotments. As well as the purchase of the submarine which
Pete Wood mentions above - which unfortunately was never named "Amersham", but
was adopted and was called H M S Unbroken - the town's residents during the War
raised funds to help purchase aircraft and tanks.)
Woodside Close Toady
On
the corner of Woodside Road and Sycamore Road (where Hopper & Babb is now)
the War Food Office issued ration books. The Maltings in the Old Town was used
to make barrage balloons and The Cartwheel on London Road made radios.
Around Amersham in Rectory and Pipers Woods and at Hodgemore army camps were
set up. The camp at Pipers Wood was occupied by the Americans and was used
after the war as a reception centre for returning prisoners of war. The camp at
Hodgemore became the home to a large contingent of Polish servicemen. The camp
remained in existence well into the 1950s with its own shop and post
office.
The Radio Chemicals centre /
Amersham plc now part of GE Health Care
In 1940 a company
was set up on White Lion Road to make luminous paint based on radium. This site
grew and after the war formed the basis of the Radiochemical Centre, which in
turn became Amersham plc, now part of GE Health Care. The complex along with
other sites in the area is now one of the areas largest employers. Although
having been created during the War, the centre has moved its focus into the
medical industry.
In parts of Amersham, there are still traces of World War
II. Richard Ayres now from Staffordshire
writes "if one walks up the footpath from the church through
Tenters Field one enters Rectory Wood: turn right on entering the wood and
adjacent to the footpath there are the remains of trenches dug by Amersham Home
Guard (Brazil's Division) in 1940 - my father was one of those who helped dig
them.
View from Rectory Woods, probably the view from the
trenches
"There is also a footpath leading from the
bottom of Station Road through Ruccles Field (part has now been hard-surfaced
to provide access to Tescos). Before reaching Tescos, on the left and most of
the year hidden by grass and nettles, is a concrete machine-gun emplacement,
again dating from 1940."
I have also been advised that there is
evidence of trenches to be found in Hervines Woods, near Longfield Drive.
David Woodridge now from Perth,
Australia write "There is some mention of dugouts in Rectory
Wood, it must have been just prior to "D" Day because at one stage Rectory Wood
was bursting at the seams with English soldiers and, mostly on the south side,
there were many dugouts and slit trenches. The old bus station at the eastern
end of the Broadway was used as a transport depot, lots of army lorries and
also tanks and I can remember these tanks tearing up the road surface as they
went up and down the streets, quite terrifying as a little lad. The soldiers
were made to swim at the old Cygnet swimming pool amongst other things and I
remember the poor soldiers being made to swim in the freezing conditions and
they were absolutely blue with the cold. Then all of a sudden all the soldiers
disappeared so that must have been "D" Day time."
Round by Pond
Wicks next to the Rec. was "Amersham Prints" and they amongst other things made
balloon barrages and parachutes."
Picture Courtesy of David
Woodridge
The rope/splicing workshop at Amersham Prints, off
School Lane, taken at 3. 56 pm some time during WW 2. They made parachutes,
inflatable boats and barrage balloons. There would be a need for all sorts of
roping. David can remember his father coming home and practicing different
knots and splices.
Picture Courtesy of David
Woodridge
A more general view of Amersham prints show David's
father, Bert Woodbridge in his cap, top left. David writes "I'm afraid that
although some of the others look familiar I can't put a name to them, I tried
to enlarge the work bench and it is a little out of focus but I noticed, with
interest, that hanging on the wall at the back, some very thick ropes that I
would think would be for the barrage balloons, those ropes on the work bench
could be anything."
Picture Courtesy of Ian
Halley
Finally, whether it is an urban myth or not I'm not
sure, but I have been told that the High and Over house, off Station Road
(above), during World War II it had to be camouflaged, because it was built in
the shape of a letter "Y" . The reason being that the distinctive shape of the
house gave directions to German bombers on their routes to their targets in
Britain.
You may find a dissertation by Bob Stonnel about life as a
school boy in Amersham during World War II of interest, see
here
If anyone has any memories or further information about
Amersham during World War II, I would be delighted to hear from you. I believe
it is important to record these memories so we can appreciate what life was
like during the War. Please email the
web master
Any additions, corrections, alterations, please
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