Mine clearance and teaching dance to POWs

The contributor discussed the stories of his parents. His mother, Enid Frost came from a middle class family and was married in 1938 at 21 years of age. She had been taken out of school during the Great Depression so that her younger brother could continue with his private education. Enid’s parents had disapproved of her ambition to be a dancer and she first trained to be a teacher for the Women's League of Health and Beauty and subsequently as a teacher of various forms of dance. Enid conducted dance and fitness classes throughout the war despite bringing up two young children. The contributor highlighted that wartime had brought about new freedoms for women. Enid had also instructed some prisoners of war in dance (there was a camp for high level German POWs close to their home).

The contributor also recounted the story of his father, Thomas (Tom) Evered who was ten years older than Enid. He was a chartered surveyor. He applied to join the Army at the start of the Second World War but was rejected on account of his age and occupation. He, therefore, joined the Home Guard and, in 1942 or 1943, applied for a commission with the Royal Engineers. Tom was selected for a mine clearance course in February 1944, and then contributed to engineering works in preparation for the June 1944 invasion of Normandy. He was sent to France in September 1944, then moved to Brussels, the Eastern Netherlands and was finally stationed in Germany. Following the cessation of hostilities, Tom was put in command of the Aachen Mine Clearance Office. This had oversight 900 to 1,200 men in 6 Mine Clearance Service Groups. These comprised men from the German Pioneer battalions (the Royal Engineers counterparts). They were responsible for clearing an area of approximately 1,800 square kilometres. One particularly heavily seeded area contained 80,000 mines and there were only minefield charts for about one third of these. It was a hazardous responsibility and here was a high casualty rate amongst the clearers. Tom remained in the Army until 1947. He rarely spoke of his wartime experiences.

The contributor also shared personal memories from the Second World War. He recalled being evacuated and he lived for 2 to 3 years with his grandmother. He stated that he was generally well fed throughout the war despite rationing. His aunt raised chickens and provided eggs and the family’s egg coupons were passed to her obtain chicken feed. It was generally a quiet rural childhood although a town 7 or 8 miles away was bombed. He also recalled that prisoners of war from a nearby camp would help in the garden. The contributor was 5 years old when the war ended. He remembered that rationing became more severe after the end of the war and food was particularly scarce during the very harsh winter of 1947.