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Memories & Letters from World War II evacuees &
residents of Cowling
 I thought I would put some of my memories on paper for you.
I arrived in Cowling on September 3rd 1939, yes I was an evacuee. I came
with my two younger brothers and with other children from St.Augustines
School. I remember we had a stop on the way, I think it was Keighley, we
were all given a carrier bag each and inside was a tin of corned beef, a tin
of milk(condensed), a packet of tea and other groceries. I cannot recall, we
all had our gas masks in the card box box what was issued some time before
we were evacuated. The bus took us to the village hall and there we were
given families to stay with. I remember one lady tickling me under the chin
and saying 'Would you like to stay with me?' At that time the lady lived at
the Hall just outside the village, was it Cowling How Hall, anyway I did not
go there, I was taken to Stott Hill Farm to stay with Annie and Jonas
Stephenson. My two brothers stayed across the road at the farm I think it
was called Farlingtop Farm and Mr & Mrs Gott lived there. My first look at
the countryside was the next day Sunday 4th Sept, what a step to take at 13
years old to leave my parents and my four other brothers and move so far
away, of course today I know it is not so far. I went out into the farmyard
and what a sight hens and chickens, cows and horses something I had not been
so close to before. Next door lived Frank Stephenson his wife (I can't
recall her name) their daughters Dorothy, Kathryn and Edna, aunt Rhoda lived
with them too. Jonas, Frank & Rhoda were brothers and sister.
I remember going to the village school with the girls and my brothers it was
a very friendly school we all took packed lunches and in the middle of the
mornings we hhad Horlicks, my very first taste of Horlicks, now every time I
have Horlicks I think of the school at Cowling. I learned how to weave
wickerwork and I made a sewing basket for my mother lined out in green, I
can still do the wicker work and before I retired I work as a classroom
assistant in our local school and I was able to show the children how to do
wicker weaving learnt all those years ago.
The great snow came 39/40 winter and I remember the roads being blocked. I
could not see out of my bedroom window for quite a while, we had to be dug
out the snow was very deep, I was given my first pair of clogs and as I
walked to school I got taller and taller the snow packed between the clog
irons, I found the clogs very comfortable to wear and even brought them home
when I started work at 14. I went to the Methodist Chapel at the bottom of
the lane, I had some lovely times there.
Annie Stephenson worked at Spring Well laundry in the village and Jonas was
a coalman using Molly one of the horses. At night every window was blacked
out not a light to be seen even the bus windows had blinds on them, those
were dark days.
I remember walking up Bobbits Hill and through the fields to the pinnacle
and coming back gathering watercress from the stream I remember seeing in
the first few days a white calf just born a miracle of new life to a city
girl like me. Miss Priestly our teacher who came with us married Paul Scott
from Cowling he had the glass and fancy goods shop in the village. I
remember walking along the bottoms picking wild primroses and other wild
flowers, it was such a lovely village and will always be in my heart. I have
my old identity card with the number K.S.M.G 7/3 on it you would like to
borrow it I will send it on, my grandchildren have all used it in the
lessons at school.
I do hope some of my memories have been helpful they are all my treasured
memories.
I am yours sincerely.
Mrs Dorothy Colyer (nee Nichols), Bradford BD9.
*****
At the age of 7 in 1939 myself and my brother Walter age
12 was evacuated from St.Augustine's C of E School. I can remember getting
on the coach (which we called Sharra in those days). I think we all had our
names on a label pinned to our clothes and I remember my Mum crying and
waving us off. I don't think we understood what was happening.
We arrived at Cowling and I assembled in the Village Hall with the residents
of Cowling where we were going to be billeted to different families. I
remember my friend Hilda Walkes crying when this couple Mr & Mrs Frank May
Smith chose her, and I said don't cry I will come with you. I think they
were only going to have one evacuee but ended up with two, but my friend
didn't stay there long, I was there 18 months.
My brother went to a couple called Mr & Mrs Whiteoak, 3 Sun Street my
brother used to sing in the choir at Church, sadly he died age 17 in 1944.
We was taken to live in a terrace house doen in Keighley Road it was the
first house past the entrance to West View, I can't remember the number.
I lived there with Uncle Frank, Auntie May till she started with a family,
she had a daughter Margaret. I then went to live at Uncle Frank's parents at
No7 West View. I used to call them Grandma & Grandad, not having any of my
own. I remember Grandad having a hen run further down Keighley Road and
collecting eggs with him. Grandma taught me how to play patience with cards
and also to recite the alphabet backwards as well as forwards, which was
always my party piece.
When going to school and always you had to carry your gas masks I remember
we used to sing ‘Run Rabbit Run' and one about Hitler, I've forgotton that
one. Also evacuated with us was a teacher called Miss. Priestley who was the
sister of the famous J.B.Priestley, and I think that she married someone
from Cowling.
I can't remember my teachers name, but Macclesfield rings a bell, but maybe
that's where she came from. She bought me on my 8 th birthday present a
shuttle cock and bat.
I have fond memories of Cowling and always wanted to come and see where I
spent a little of my childhood.
One Saturday in March my daughter and husband took me and I took a
photograph, here is one enclosed of me outside the school. I was so excited
about it I vowed I would come again, maybe when the school was open this
summer and see if they had photo's of us evacuees.
After being retired for 12 months I have got a temporary job as relief
warden on a sheltered housing complex and just haven't got round to it.
D. M. Murray
Otley Road, Bradford
*****
My first memory of war was when I was about two, my parents and I were
having a meal, when an aeroplane of some kind flew over. I don't think one
had ever come over Cowling before, that was during the first world war in
about 1917.
During the second war 1939 to 1945 of course there were a lot of all
different types both British & German bombers coming over in different
directions also fighter planes.
There was a lot of talk, well before war started that Hitler wanted to
conquer all Europe .
A lot of couples got married about that time because we didn't know how many
men would be called up for the armed forces.
I was married in July 1939 and my brother married soon after. By then we had
to collect our gas masks from the Chapel which stood on the hill where
Pinnacle view now stands.
Ernest, my husband wasn't called up until 1942 at the time when bombers were
coming over trying to find the munitions factories and aircraft factories.
He was put on to anti aircraft guns after he had done fitness training in
the Welsh mountains.
The guns were trying to shoot the German planes down as they came over
before they had time to drop their bombs. Of course the bombers were trying
to destroy the guns at the same time.
My husband was in England all through the war except a spell in Ireland ,
but after the war ended he was sent to France to help to guard German &
Italian prisoners of war. They didn't want to fight any more than the
English men did, but they all had to defend their one country, and try to
capture the enemy. Brian my eldest son was born at the end of the war in May
1945, and one of the Italian prisoners that my husband was guarding carved a
set of animals out of wood. Two horses, two cows, two pigs and two sheep I
think there was. They were lovely, but some one took them when Brian was
playing outside with them, so someone knows where they are now. During the
war there were a lot of bombs dropped on London, and a tremendous lot of
damage done, most of the area round St.Pauls Cathedral was demolished.
During the war a lot of English soldiers were stationed in Cowling, some
were living in the Church Sunday School, and some in the big Methodist
Sunday School on the hill mentioned before. Some of them didn't like Cowling
much at first, it was so different to London and Liverpool which a lot of
them were used to. One of them even wrote to his wife that there was only
snow and stone walls. He cam to realise though that his wife would be safer
here, so he asked my mother-in-law who lived where was Mona Townson lives
now, if she knew of anywhere where she could come and stay. I happened to be
there and said I had a spare bed , she could come to me. She was still here
at the end of the war. She would have liked to have stayed but her husband
had his job in London . He has been to stay here since, and his sons and his
brothers wife and his wifes sister, and an Aunt, but she didn't stay with
me, she stayed with someone in Lingcrag, but she soon went back to London ,
it was too quiet for here here.
During the war there were a lot of tanks and lorries came through the
village during the night, some so heavy that they even made the beds shake,
the tanks also drove so near the pavement they clipped the edges off.
We had to have all the windows blacked out with either blinds or very thick
curtains so that no light shone through at all, so that the enemy pilots
didn't know they were over villages and towns.
They were munitions works in Steeton and they didn't want those bombing.
We had some good laughs sometimes walking about in the dark. We couldn't see
people coming and bumped into them sometimes. Sometimes we would bump into
lamp posts or telegraph poles and apologised to them.
There were two bombs dropped quite near Cowling on Elslack Moor.
I went to stay in London during the war with the Lady I mentioned earlier
when we thought the war was nearly over. That's when the first Doodle bombs
were dropped. My friend was terrified and walked around the room feeling for
the bedroom light switch. I had to smile.
Before my husband was called to join the army he was in the A.R.P – Air Raid
Patrol and when the siren sounded which was always during the night, he had
to get dressed and go out to walk round the village to help to put fires out
if any incendiary bombs were dropped.
There were also men who spent a lot of nights in a building on top of the
Crag near the old pinnacle, to give advance warning of enemy planes or
anything else. They would have a good view from up there, they were called
the Royal Observer Corps. My husband was on patrol when Manchester was
bombed and could see fires from North Ends.
I was a weaver at John Binns & Sons, Croft Mill. During the war, we wove
material for parachutes and Barrage balloons, and I once wove red blankets.
I suppose they were for hospitals.
One of the war years we were so busy we had to start at 6:00 in the morning
with a break from twenty past eight to 9 O'Clock for breakfast, then we had
an hour for dinner and worked till 5:30pm, and 11:30 on Saturday morning
when we went home and had dinner and did the washing and got ready to go to
Keighley. We might have an hour to wait for a bus even though there was on
every 20mins, most of them arrived from Colne full up. We were able to get a
meat and potato pie for tea which saved our coupons. Then we would go to the
first turn at the pictures and arrive home about 9.0.
A class of school children and their teachers were evacuated here from
Brighton at the early part of the war they didn't stay very long, then a
class from a school in Bradford came along with their teacher Mrs Priestley
who was a sister of well known author J.B.Priestley. She married the local
Newsagent Paul Scott and so stayed in the village after the children went
home to Bradford .
Myra Warne's memories of WWII in Cowling.
*****
I was born in 1936 in Brighton on the South Coast and
around I think 1940 I was evacuated to the village of Cowling, it was winter
time and snowing on my arrival. The reception area or place was called I
think the Tin Tab I can still identify the place but the name of the street
or road escapes me. From there I was placed with a family called Porter who
lived at the top of Middleton, only for a short period, from there I was
moved to Stainforth near Settle, a childrens home, but after about 12 to 15
months moved back to Cowling and stayed with Mr&Mrs Warne at the Old
Vicarage near to the Parish Church, incidentally Mrs Myra Warne, currently
on Woodland Street remembers me well.
After the war there was no reason to return to Brighton and so after
National Service I chose a career in the then Burnley Borough Police Force
serving 28years, at the present time I am working in the Lancashire
Probation Service as a Community Officer.I would like to talk in more detail giving a fuller story
of my life in the village, the strict upbringing and anything else that
would assist in compiling a publication of this time.
Yours sincerely
Ken Tanswell, Southfield Burnley.
*****
These are some of my recollections of life as a schoolgirl in the war years
3rd September 1939 until 15th August 1945. Events had been unfolding
throughout Europe since the early 1930s. Those who warned us what Hitler was
planning were vilified and denounced as war mongers.
They were proved right and we had to hastily prepare for what proved to be a
long and costly war.
Reservists were soon called up and others were soon being enlisted and
trained. Men and women were soon leaving the village and others followed as
soon as they were old enough.
Local men were trained for the Royal Observer Corps who had their
observation post at Rose Top. It had a fine vantage point overlooking East
Lancs, the Dales, Aire Valley and the moors behind Cowling. This was manned
on a rota system for the six years of the war.
The people who worked in the mills in the village were used to having Binns'
mill whistle or the "Woo. as it was known to waken them in a morning and
tell them when to go back after dinner at midday.
This had to cease and the "Woo became the Air raid siren as it could be
heard all over the village. It had also been used by the Water company if
they wanted to turn our water off for repairs. We had our own company in
those days, all that had to stop. Lots of older people got confused by which
was the Warning whistle and the All Clear. Ending up by going down into
their cellars when they should have been coming out!
Many other groups were hastily formed - Air raid wardens, Firemen, Special
constables to support our resident policeman PC Sam Hardingham, whose widow
is still in the village, Mrs Dorothy Hardingham. They had to enforce the
black-out which entailed a fair lot of
hard work as the farms are so widespread covering a big area.
The Womens Voluntary Service did a great deal of work, finding homes for
evacuees that would be arriving shortly, making jam and preserves, knitting,
sewing and all the things women usually do in times of crisis. We were all
issued with identity cards, ration books,
and clothing coupons. I still have the first two.
Early in the war the children and teachers arrived from Bradford. Many
returned home pretty quickly as it wasn't so far away. However Miss
Priestley one of their teachers fell in love with Paul Scott the local
newsagent, married and stayed to teach until her retirement.
All signposts had to be removed in case any of the enemy arrived in the
area.
Soldiers just back from Dunkirk came for a while. They were billeted in the
Foresters Hall, Parish Church Schoolroom, Bar Chapel Schoolroom, and what
was the Liberal Club.They had their Field Kitchens and were self sufficient.
A few of them married local girls.
I remember Park Road was full of army vehicles, it wouldn't have been a
problem then, as not many locals had cars. I'm sure there were search lights
at the top of Leys Lane and Black Lane Ends.
I can remember coming home from Cononley one night when Manchester had been
blitzed, the sky looked to be on fire, it was scary.
We had relatives there so we knew for sure, when we got a letter saying what
death and destruction there had been. The radio just used to say a North
West or South East no names were given after raids of towns and cities.
A few deaths of the local servicemen had been reported. This was a very
upsetting time for families, friends and was keenly felt as Cowling was a
close knit community.
The Brighton evacuees arrived with their teachers. They appeared to settle
quite well. One girl, Doreen Shipley, stayed and married a local man, Rufus
Bannister, and others settled with the family who gave them a home and never
went back. One who stayed told me recently he was just four years old when
he came.
At school we were all provided with gas masks, they steamed up, and you were
meant to carry them at all times. If we went out of the village we may take
them say to Keighley or Burnley but not for playing out or I can't think we
took them to school for long.
The school nurse visited (this was not Nitty Nora, the nit nurse, but one of
the other nurses) and I remember getting extra clothing coupons for extra
height, weight and shoe size. That helped when you were growing fast. Boys
didn't seem to grow as tall as girls until they were a bit older. The
dentist came as well, so problems were seen to in quick time, anything that
needed doing you hadn't time to get worked up about.
We went to Glusburn Baths which we enjoyed, and as we went late afternoon we
could stay an hour longer and pay extra. Cookery classes were held at
Steeton School., that was a nice change, often what we made was eaten before
we got home.
Our teachers had no helpers and there was no school secretary in those days.
No school dinners, children living a long way out brought sandwiches and the
teachers would brew them some tea. The rest of us all walked home and back
after dinner. I remember one girl came from the Copy Farm, that is a long
walk and others came from Mine Close and Crag-Side. A winter like 40 and '41
would test an adult never mind a child.
There was lots of fundraising for the war effort, Wings for Victory, Aid to
Russia, Red Cross, Comforts for the Troops, etc. There were National Savings
Stamps to be bought. The teachers dealt with this when they had called the
register. We had wool given to us to knit scarves, socks, balaclavas, and
mittens in our sewing class and take home, I suppose hoping mothers would
finish them off. My sister got a letter from the local soldier who got her
scarf, I believe quite a few did. The farmers daughters were very good
knitters especially socks with four needles.
When children were eleven years old came the time, those who passed the exam
went to Keighley Grammar School, not many won a scholarship at that time.
There was also the Technical School, Art School, and Commercial School. Most
stayed at Cowling until leaving at fourteen. Some went into the textile
mills which was the main source of employment, others took apprenticeships
with local tradesmen but everyone seemed to find work.
Some though not the least bit scholarly did very well in practical work that
they enjoyed and became very successful.
I haven't touched on the Black Market or in modern parlance the enterprise
culture. Nobody went short of anything in Cowling or I suppose any country
village or small town. Eggs, bacon, ham, butter, lamb, beef, cheese, cream,
there was a lot of wheeling and dealing and fresh vegetables and fruit in
season were available. Things were rationed, also bread was, but women
managed to bake.
Sweets were rationed to about 4oz per week. I do recall when we got bananas
again, that was a treat we had been denied. I suppose with the heavy losses
of our merchant ships it is a wonder we didn't starve.
We used to have a holiday in wartime at Morecambe with a lady from
Liverpool, Mrs. Martin, she and her four daughters had been bombed out and
were found this house where she could take in guests. Her husband, son of
15, and son - in - law were all on the same ship which had been sunk.
Merchant Seamen had their pay stopped from the time the ship went down. She
said all her friends husbands were seamen and quite a lot had been confirmed
lost at the height of submarine attacks on the convoys. Some weeks after our
holiday she wrote to say all were safe, picked up by a German submarine and
were now in a prison camp in Germany until the war ended.
At the beginning of 1945 we felt it would not be long before the war came to
a close. On the 8th May 1945 V.E. Day the Germans finally surrendered. There
were great celebrations everywhere, but the war in the Pacific ended with
the surrender of the Japanese on August 15th 1945, V.J. Day. Cowling had
lost seven men who paid the ultimate sacrifice for peace and freedom.
The catastrophic events of the two world wars remind me of the words of Eric
Hoffer, an American who was a self educated docker and working man's
thinker. A great believer in individualism. He said of the 1930s, "It
colour's my thinking and shapes my attitude towards events. I can never
forget that one of the most gifted, best educated nations in the world, of
it's own free will, surrendered it's fate into the hands of a maniac.
Catherine Smith, Cowling.
*****
I left Bradford 37
years ago, with my wife Betty (nee Whittaker) and our two children for a new
life in Canada, despite the fact I was perhaps the most unlikely person to
leave England
Today my wife and I
live in retirement on Vancouver Island, at the Pacific Ocean, I can't
possibly divulge my age, but I was born in Bradford in1925.
No doubt you are
wondering the reasons for this letter, perhaps a cutting from the Yorkshire
Observer, and the mass exodus of children on Friday 1st Sept 1939 to places
like Cowling, may explain was one of these children, and was almost 14 years
old .My parents were adamant that my two younger siblings should be
evacuated (Stanley10,Rita 8). I was cajoled by my mother to accompany "the
young ones" in order to keep an eye on them.
My experiences were
not of a dramatic nature but I felt I should respond in some small way to
your enquiry.
Friday morning 1st
Sept 1939 outside St Augustine's school I recall witnessing much weeping, as
we embarked on a double Decker bus to foster square L.M.S. station Bradford,
somehow we decided to sing as we left the school (Not” Nearer to thee" like
the titanic) Our song was "LITTLE SIR ECHO", Ironically in 1941 (2 years
later I started my working life for the L.M.S Railway too in Bradford). I
think we detrained at Kildwick & Crosshills station, and there by bus to
Cowling, In 1949 I worked at this same station (then British Railway). Upon
our arrival in Cowling we were ushered into a hall (school or church I don't
remember). It seemed people were selecting who would get who. My sister Rita
was picked up early by the Headmaster's wife for billeting at there home. I
was determined whoever got " our Stanley "had to take me also, and due to
this attitude the hall was almost empty before we were finally "Chosen " or
"Selected”. The fortunate choice went to Mr. & Mrs. Day who lived at the
last farm at the top of the lane out of Cowling, and skirting the moors in
the clear view of the Pinnacle.
We loved it although
we were big city children. We always had an allotment including a hen run
(about 30 hens), pigeons, rabbits etc, hence we were close to livestock, my
brother particularly. This of course dovetailed us neatly into "The Day's"
enterprise, who had not long returned to England from Canada
The people in Cowling
I was privileged to know were?
Mr. DAY who was a
baker, and worked at Crosshills.
Mrs. Day’s brother
Allan who worked for Lund’s in Crosshills & Keighley.
Mrs. Day’s sister was
Mrs. Lund, they had a lovely home in Crosshills (could it have been called
CROFT HOUSE?), I remember apple picking in there orchard garden, The Lund’s
had two daughters (younger than myself).
Alan (Mrs. Day's
brother) and his friend (whose name escapes me) had a girl friends who were
sisters they were Freda & Jean, the latter was Allan's choice (or visa
versa) I think there family name was Longstaff (but not absolutely sure),
they lived at the Cowling Post Office, Freda's boyfriend joined the R.A.F.
and was Killed in action rather early in the war. I myself who endeavored
towards Jean in a puppy love sort of way, in fact I corresponded with her
quite some time after returning to Bradford. I do remember one girl of my
own age who caught my desire she carried the name Jean Smith.
From time to time
there was some friction between the boys from St. Augustine’s, and the
adjacent Wapping road schools, resulting in the odd bloody nose, and scraped
knuckles- just boys feeling out new territories.
Since I had graduated
from St Augustine’s in1937 I was a pupil at Hanson high school (now
evacuated to Keighley), this obligated me to attend Keighley Grammar school
with my own school mates.
The transportation
costs (Cowling to Keighley daily) caused me to return to Bradford by bus and
reverse journey was completed on my bicycle this then became my mode of
transport five days a week complete with school bag, paraffin lighting was
not very conducive as an aid to completing my homework at the farm, Weekends
were eagerly awaited.
Discipline in pre war
years at Hanson high school was very severe, no doubt by today’s standards
we were abused children in every way but unusually I mention this because
Keighley Grammar I found to my dismay was even more sadistic than I
experienced in Bradford, a French teacher by the name of Milton was nothing
short of a tyrant.
Back to Cowling I
recall Mr. Day had two dogs, one a conventional terrier (lots of fur), The
other we were informed was half fox which was evidenced by its bushy tail,
and shape of head, this dog wasn't easy to treat as a pet.
My stay in Cowling
couldn't have been longer than six months, and was aggravated by my
schooling in Keighley, seemed to be getting more detentions after school
than I should have which caused Mrs. Day more than a little anxiety, Knowing
that I was cycling home, and expecting me much earlier .I approached my
Headmaster for some leniency in this regard, and to which he showed some
understanding. The wheel of bureaucracy & authority were put in to motion,
Lo & behold the next Saturday morning two Gestapo type men arrived by car at
our billett. They were instructed to return with me, and my belongings to
Keighley, I was having none of this, and with the support of Mr. & Mrs. Day
it was decided that they return to Keighley, and my parents in Bradford were
to be advised of there intention.
I made my own decision
post haste consequently my brother and I packed our few belongings, and I
saw him on to the bus to Keighley with suitcase instructing him to await my
arrival at Keighley bus station by bicycle. Such drama brother Stanley was
dispatched from Keighley by West Yorkshire bus where he was to await my
arrival (by bike) at Chester St. bus station in Bradford. We both arrived at
our home around lunch time, and my parents agreed that I and my brother
would remain permanently with them, whatever the consequences.
These are the
treasured memories of this now called "Senior Citizen".
My brother Stanley is
longtime retired from the Bradford Police Force. I worked until 1987 as an
Industrial Accountant. In hindsight perhaps we were evacuated for later
service to our country. I was conscripted in 1943, but that’s another story.
With every good wish
to the people of Cowling,
God bless,
ERNEST NOBLE
Vancouver, Canada |
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