Cheadle In The Second World War

A Memory of Cheadle.

I think that we must have moved to Cheadle around 1938, because I was born in Newcastle under Lyme, but my younger sister was born in Cheadle in 1939. At that time we lived on Leek Road. We had various airmen and sailors billeted with us when they were on training courses at the top secret Cheadle Hall, an outstation from Bletchley Park. These included a sailor who had served on HMS 'Hood', but prior to the terrible happening. bout 1941 we moved from Leek Road down to The Birches. Not such a nice house, but when you are young these things don't seem to matter. For most of the Second World War Dad worked in the munitions factory at Swinnerton. Despite the terrible war, as children we rather enjoyed those years. Cheadle was a lovely place to grow up in at that time. I started school in 1941 at the Church of England school which was just over the garden wall from where we lived. In the summer months all of us children from the Birches and Lid Lane used to disappear up into Huntley Wood. Whilst up in the woods we played various games, climbed trees, and picked bilberries. I can recall my elder brother having to come and fetch us home when it was nearly dark! Later on after the Americans came into the war Cheadle used to see a big influx of the US servicemen for the Saturday dance at the Guildhall. Sometimes of course this resulted in fights which were not so nice. The Americans seemed very glamourous to us children. It was around this time that I saw my first black American. We kids used to go around the streets collecting American cigarette packets which were new to us. By about 1943 I remember gazing at the Fyffes adverts in the local shops which showed a bunch of bananas. By this time we had forgotten what they tasted like. I recall that Goodwins on the High Street used to be surrounded by crowds whenever they received a rare delivery of sweets. I remember however that you could buy a ginger-bread man from a stall just inside the market hall.
One vivid memory that I have is one evening when Dad took us upstairs to the front bedroom to show us a bright glow in the sky. When we asked him what it was, he just said it was "Coventry burning". Terrible.
We did have a couple of bombs around Cheadle, but I don't know if the Germans were trying to get Cheadle Hall outstation, or Thomas Bolton's at Froghall. Possibly both.
Later on in the war my mum used to take me to the North Staffs Infirmary for eye treatment. We used to sit on the benches waiting our turn, and on the same bench would be German and Italian PoWs. It was a bit unnerving for a kiddie of 6-7.
After one such visit to the NSI, Mum stopped off at Meir to see Dad. I had never before travelled on a train, and we went to Meir Station to try to catch one of the infrequent trains to Cheadle. I remember standing on the platform, watching the train come in and marvelling at how clever the driver must have been to keep the train on such narrow tracks! Stupid boy!
I remember, later in the war, I went through a phase of collecting bus tickets, and always had a pocketful. One day I took my younger sister for a bus ride down to Tean. Only a couple of miles, but a long way for kids. We wandered around Tean, and walked up to the bridge that crossed the river (a brook really). We stood on the bridge just below the houses where a plane had crashed into the roofs. We leaned over the bridge and I amused us by flicking some of my bus tickets into the river below. Unbeknown to me this included our return tickets back to Cheadle. Doubly stupid boy!
We moved away from Cheadle in 1946, and even though it is now over 60 years since I left, Cheadle has a special place in my heart. I try to get back there occasionally, but of course they say that you should never retrace your steps.
The place is just not the same. But then neither am I.


Added 16 November 2009

#226479

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