Baynham Family Wartime Memories

Eileen Baynham (nee Wilson), born in Tadcaster near York in 1937, recalls her father's service as a dispatch rider in the Military Police.

Whilst escorting a military convoy, George Wilson found himself at the rear of the column of vehicles. In his role, he was accustomed to always having the right of way over any civilian traffic. At a junction, he followed these instructions but collided with another vehicle and was killed. Eileen was just 4 years old when this occurred in 1941, and her father was buried with full military honours.

As wartime widows were allowed to suspend any outstanding house mortgage payments, Eileen's mother didn't have to pay anything until the end of the war.

Eileen also remembers an Anderson air raid shelter in a field near their house in Tadcaster. Half above and half underground, the children used it's sloping roof as a slide. She also recalls suffering from nightmares about Hitler, but this was partly resolved by having a toy gun.