On This Week: Taking a look back at the headlines from 1945 and a nature walk in Sandringham in 1981
During this time of VE Day events, today’s “On this Week” gives you a flavour of what our parents and grandparents were reading in the Lynn News as the Second World War conflict came to an end in Europe.
On this week: May 8-14, 1945
All black-out and dim-out restrictions have been lifted from the following parishes of Freebridge: Castle Acre, East Walton, East Winch, Gayton, Great and Little Massingham, Harpley, Leziate, Middleton, North Runcton, Pentney, West Acre, and West Winch. The dim-out remains, for the present, in the following parishes within the coastal belt: Babingley, Bawsey, Castle Rising, Congham, Flitcham, Grimston, Hillington, Roydon, Sandringham, North and South Wootton, and Wolferton. However, the likelihood of a U-boat deriving much help from a kitchen window in some of these parishes seems, on the face of it, remote.
A new pumping station of the East of the Ouse, Polver and Nar Internal Drainage Board at Wiggenhall St Germans was formally opened by Ald. A.E.H. Birch (chairman of the board). The pumping station, with engines and pumps, cost approximately £20,000. It is built over the Polver Drain 300 yards above its junction with the tidal River Ouse. In December 1944 a Stirling heavy bomber, trying to make a forced landing, skidded along the whole length of the roof, but no damage was done and not a brick was displaced although several were chipped. The bomber crew escaped without serious injury.
Gaywood Park girls’ school held their annual physical training competition on April 27. Miss M Segger, P.T. organiser for Norfolk, judged every form in the school and commented on the general high standard throughout and the co-operation of parents in turning out the girls in such neat, suitable equipment after nearly six years of war. The Ald Catleugh Trophy was presented to Eileen Chase, captain of Form 2nd year A, the winning group of girls who obtained 92 per cent. Miss K Sherman (headmistress) commented on what had been a “noteworthy day”.
During a meeting of Freebridge Rural District Council, the clerk, Mr A Weatherbed, told members that evacuees who wished to remain in the area and who were living in condemned houses, must be re-housed by the RDC. Lady Downe (Hillington) asked: “Why? They don’t belong in any way to us. They are Londoners. We should house our own people first. There are plenty of them coming home soon and they will want houses. I think it’s abominable.” Mr Weatherbed said he did not think there would be many evacuees still in the district by the time the official parties were due to start back. Mr A Hill (Gayton) said there were not many evacuees in Freebridge in condemned houses.
The letters section of the newspaper included the following: Sir, - it is pleasing to learn that something may be done about the quality of milk delivered to some households in Lynn. Unclean milk is a crime of long standing. During the last two summers, milk delivered at 11am in the morning was sour by noon and we had to resort to National dried milk for our 12-months-old daughter. The fresh (?) milk we received, after being boiled, was condemned by one of our local doctors as unfit for human consumption.
Hilda A Bunton (45) of Bagge Road, Lynn, was found guilty by Lynn magistrates of stealing a shilling’s worth of firewood, the property of Taylor Woodrow Ltd, from a dump in Bagge Road. The defendant told the court she had bought a permit to pick up wood, but she did not realise it was only for wood fallen from trees. The case was dismissed under the Probation of Offenders Act.
Captain M Tannesley, of Manor House, Marham, has arrived home from the German prisoner of war camp Oflag 1X 3/H. He was captured in Crete on June 1, 1941. He was an officer on the Reserve and was called up for 16 weeks in August 1939, and has not been home since he sailed for Palestine immediately war was declared. He had lost 4 stone during captivity and commented: “It is wonderful to see the stocks of all kinds, especially food, in the shops. The German ration was hardly sufficient to keep a man alive.”
A rally arranged by Gaywood “Women’s Own” was held in Gaywood Methodist chapel. A tea was followed by a meeting presided over by the Rev C Balhatchet and the guest speaker was the Rev F Mackenzie, of Upwell who hoped the conference of the United Nations, being held in San Francisco, would adopt the sword of spirit instead of the sword of steel so that the world would be saved for our children. Mrs B Whittley sang two solos.
