Smallfield Prepares For War 1939 45

A Memory of Smallfield.

bill.haylor@btinternet.com  Resident in and around Smallfield for 81 yrs.

One of the first indications in the village relating to war was the erection of a telegraph pole, on the top of which was a platform and a circular metal object about the size of two buckets, called a siren, at each end was a circular slotted opening out of which came the creepy but familiar wailing sound. This siren was placed opposite the (old) school in School Road (Redehall Road) and just within the entrance to Gonville Laundry. During use the indication of an imminent air raid was a warbling sound, when all danger had passed a single tone was sounded. During the war all church bells were silent, the sound that everyone most feared were the church bells ringing again for this meant England was being invaded.

During 1940 and to counter enemy movements across Southern England deep gullies were excavated and referred to as Tank Traps. Smallfield had its own section; they crossed Chapel Road running east to west at a point just above the row of bungalows and below the detached houses on the left. They were 10 feet deep with one side angled and the other vertical, supported by upright poles to prevent collapsing. They were expected to halt the passing of enemy tanks across open countryside. To make these deep angled cuts, earth scrapers were used. Over time water settled in these deep gullies and the sides collapsed. As 12 year old children we watched all these preparations then played in them when the soldiers had gone.

To accompany these gullies as they traversed the countryside, hexagonal gun emplacements built of brick and concrete were built and known as Pillboxes, there were around 5 in the Smallfield vicinity but they have mostly been demolished.

The Blackout was a scheme devised to prevent the enemy seeing any likely targets at night. Everyone was ordered to cover all windows to prevent light escaping; even the slightest chink would receive a knock on the door from the police. Lights on cars had to be fitted with special masks making it impossible to see where you were going so speeds were reduced to almost walking pace. Windows had to be decorated with sticky tape in a crisscross fashion so that if broken by a bomb blast they would fall in small pieces and be less dangerous.

Air raid shelters became available in several forms, some were like a metal box that went under a table indoors, others were of corrugated iron that stood outdoors. Many people made their own by digging into earth banking where they would sleep at night, I can vouch that they were very comfortable and rather like camping. What our parents thought must have been grim.

As food became short Ration Books were issued for there had to be some arrangement whereby every one was treated equally, in reality it was a little different but we all survived. Village folk had an advantage over town people in that rabbits and pigeons could be shot or caught for meat, many people were already well equipped for growing all manner of fruit and vegetables. Chickens and ducks were easy to rear for producing eggs while tame rabbits became popular for the table, when they were skinned and ready for cooking they looked no different to wild ones and be assured they were very tasty!

Various schemes were devised for the protection of others, one being the organising of an Air Raid Warden whose duties would be to ensure that everyone obeyed government orders regarding safety and public order, the TV series Dads Army gives a fair indication of how a warden dressed and what he did, I have no knowledge who held that post in Smallfield.

There was a Home Guard group in Smallfield, I can recall one or two members who were very much like Dads Army, mostly older men who were not required to join the army due to age or health. One of their meeting places was the Church Hall opposite Burstow Church.

One very important happening was the arrival of evacuees from London, some from Brockley, some from Mitcham. As has been described in other places over the years there was a pecking order, or better described as a 'picking' order, by those who decided they were better qualified to 'choose their child' from the large number of unknown types that lined up that day in the school playground.

Of the people who decided to take in children there were some who already had children so an extra one or two would mean little change, while other families I knew were childless but decided they would be patriotic and do the right thing. One childless lady near me in School Road took in three brothers, twins and a single from Brockley. It was hell she told my mother, they had never used knives and forks to eat with before and when it came to using the toilet at night, (there were no toilets indoors) a chamber pot was the usual container, which the boys were not used to, so they simply peed on the floor.

Another boy I knew well was selected by a well off family but he hated it, he never had enough to eat and eventually asked to be moved to another family where he stayed until returning home. In our house we had two boys from Mitcham, as far as I can recall we got on very well but I do remember getting jealous at one time when one appeared to be favoured more than me for food, but I suppose that's normal. The boys from Brockley also had a sister who stayed with us at one time.

Unwritten heirarchy in Smallfield dictated who chose which child, it was a matter of who had first pick, it was likened to a cattle market! The last child was of a different racial background, slightly coloured, the parent had assumed the problem and had sewn a 5 note inside the clothing.

Bill Haylor

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